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France and Allies Recognize Palestinian Statehood at U.N. Summit
France has officially recognized the State of Palestine, joining Britain, Canada, Australia and others in a growing international movement backing Palestinian sovereignty. The announcement came during a summit organized by France and Saudi Arabia ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The gathering adopted the New York Declaration, supported by 142 countries, which lays out “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said recognition was a right, not a reward, warning that denying statehood would “be a gift to extremists everywhere.”
Israeli officials condemned the move, with Ambassador Danny Danon vowing that Israel “will take action.” U.S. President Donald Trump also rejected the recognition, calling it a “reward to Hamas.”
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, who was denied a U.S. visa and addressed the summit by video, pledged that the Authority would govern both the West Bank and Gaza. “Our future and yours depends on peace. Enough war,” he said.
The recognition drive comes as the war in Gaza nears its second year, with more than 60,000 Palestinians killed and most of the enclave displaced.
