Poor Macron
French Effort To Secure Expanded Recognition Of Palestine Flops
French President Emmanuel Macron's effort to get more countries attending his two-state solution conference to openly express recognition for a Palestinian state hit a brick wall.
France's effort to get more countries to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally at its two-state solution conference failed badly, according to a report today (Tuesday) by i24 News.
According to the report, the foreign ministers who attended the conference huddled together in a room to coordinate ideas and messaging, and it was there that France suggested that those who support the idea of a Palestinian state or the Palestinian Authority as the sole basis for a Palestinian state to join France in unilaterally recognizing such a state.
However, most Asian and European countries represented at the meeting said that they did not want to grant such recognition willy-nilly, especially when it was unclear what role Hamas would play in any Palestinian state government.
Thus, while France's decision, backed by Saudi Arabia, to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state is still scheduled for November, the effort to increase the number of states granting such recognition, thus increasing the international pressure on Israel, has largely failed for now.