In one post, French President Emmanuel Macron changed everything, but nothing changed at all.
His late announcement at X surprised many when France recognized the Palestinian state in September, the first member of the UN Security Council, and the G7 countries did so.
While France’s perception has been anticipated for several months, in fact, a brief war between Israel and Iran forced the postponement of the summit on Israeli-Palestine with European allies where Saudi Arabia and Paris were shepherds.
A surprise announcement tells you two things.
First of all, Emmanuel Macron feels that this is the time to act. French, British and German leaders will speak on Friday calling for urgent action against the new lows of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
Since May, more than 1,000 Gazans have been killed desperately for food, and dozens more have been killed from the star star itself.
The image of a skeletal gazan with children has returned to the darkest corners of the 20th century.
Macron’s decision is bold, followed by the scattering of European allies and the scattering of Ireland, Norway and Spain, but with major international forces leading the way in which they follow.
“I had other colleagues on the phone, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who recognizes Palestine in September,” a senior French presidential official told CNN on Thursday after Macron’s announcement.
The eyes probably rely on the UK, and perhaps Germany. The outlook for the US, Israel’s closest ally, without President Trump, seems impossible.
But for the people on earth, France’s decisions will change much.
This move was hailed by Hamas as a “positive step.” For Israeli leaders, it didn’t work at all.
Recognition of “fears of reward” spoke to Israeli Prime Minister (and longtime Palestinian opposition) Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night.
Even if international perception could magically bring out a concrete change in Gaza, the September deadline would be too late until Palestinians starve to death under the food lockdown that controlled Israel.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of Unrwa, the leading UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Thursday that Gaza people resemble “walking corpses” when starvation took hold.
All 2.1 million people in Gaza are food insecurity and on Tuesday the Gaza Ministry of Health said 900,000 children are hungry.
Approximately 70,000 children already show signs of malnutrition, they said.
The French solo announcement also hints at despair on Macron’s part.
He is a man who likes alliances on the world stage. Number strength is usually a victory strategy.
A month ago, a stage appeared in which France tried to acknowledge Palestine. A summit co-hosted with Saudi Arabia was planned in Riyadh from June 17th to 20th.
The expectations among experts were that France and Saudi Arabia were jointly aware of other allies. This is a strong signal to Jerusalem and Washington, DC on the importance of two states’ resolution and peace.
Macron may still be victorious in September if the allies joined France’s perception, but it did not do so without endangering French diplomatic capital and covering its more passive partners.
“The idea is to put a little pressure on other countries,” a French official told CNN.
And Macron’s decision holds weight.
European countries have proven stubbornly reluctant to act formalisedly on the solution of the two states and to recognize the Palestinian state. Respect for the West’s ally Israel, aversion to the shortcomings of Gaza’s Islamic government and Palestinian authorities in the West Bank, and the apparently accepted decades of status quo have made international behavior a little more unsettled.
France is now breaking that glass ceiling.
Within France, it is a country that has long held a sympathetic position towards the Palestinian cause, which recognizes that recognizing Palestinian nationality is not a controversial move.
After World War II, Charles de Gaul gathered France with the Palestinians after the war in 1967, and Paris was involved with the Palestinian Liberation Agency for decades, even if terrorist attacks were carried out under the names of groups in French soils.
In 2014, the French Parliament called on the government to recognize Palestine. This is an appeal that the government supported the UN Security Council in a failed vote to introduce a Palestinian state by 2017.
France has long supported solutions for the two states, Israel and Palestine, based on the 1967 border, but France’s perception states that it does not designate a border.
Macron stubbornly supported Israel’s retaliation for the October 7th massacre, but over time he intensified his criticism of Netanyahu and his actions of Israel’s war.
Publicly, he was worried about “importing” the conflict into France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim community.
However, as the victims of Gaza were mounted, France banned arms exports to Israel, causing orchestrated aid to fall into the territory, repeatedly sought humanitarian aid and ceasefire and access for journalists.
Taking this leap in faith and recognizing the Palestinian state ahead of its French companions, the Elysee Palace certainly wants the domino effect of recognition in the West.
With cruel aid out of the reach of ordinary Gazan, it is probably the last ditch effort to bring some relief.
