France to recognize Palestinian state, Europe's big 3 hold Gaza talks

President Emmanuel Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September – making it the most powerful European nation yet to announce such a move.

"True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine," Macron said.

Home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, France will become the biggest Western country to recognize a Palestinian state, potentially fueling a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel.

Macron posted his statement on X from a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intentions. The announcement drew a furious response from Israel and the United States.

'Slap in the face'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy."

He added: "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described it as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism." 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7."

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed doubts about a two-state solution, proposing a U.S. takeover of Gaza in February, that was condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing".

How others have reacted to France's announcement: 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose country already recognizes Palestinian statehood, said: "Together, we must protect what Netanyahu is trying to destroy. The two-state solution is the only solution."

Saudi Foreign Ministry: "The Kingdom reiterates its call for all countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to take similar positive steps and adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "This is a step in the right direction toward the realisation of the two-state solution and the end of the occupation."

Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh: "It reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."

'Supplies running out'

Meanwhile, on the ground in Gaza, the outrage and arguments continue over the supply of aid and who is responsible for preventing famine.   

Israel says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's 2.2 million people.

On Friday, the UN and humanitarian agencies said Gaza was on the brink of running out of the specialized food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children.

"We are now facing a dire situation, that we are running out of therapeutic supplies," said Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for UNICEF in Amman, Jordan.

"That's really dangerous for children as they face hunger and malnutrition at the moment."

Oweis said UNICEF had only enough Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food left to treat 3,000 children. In the first two weeks of July alone, UNICEF treated 5,000 children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza.

The World Health Organization said a programme in Gaza that was aiming to prevent malnutrition among the most vulnerable, including pregnant women and children under five, may have to stop work as it was running out of the nutritional supplements.

Gaza's food stocks have been diminishing rapidly since Israel, at war with Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 2023, cut off all supplies to the territory in March, lifting that blockade in May but with restrictions that it says are needed to prevent aid being diverted to militant groups.

As a result, international aid agencies say that only a trickle of what is needed, including medicine, is currently reaching people in Gaza.

UK, France, Germany talks on Gaza

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would hold an "emergency call" on Friday with France and Germany on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging a ceasefire and steps towards Palestinian statehood.

"We will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace," Starmer said.

"A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis."

Starmer said the situation in Gaza had "reached new depths and continues to worsen", 21 months on from the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 that triggered Israel's war on the Palestinian territory.

"The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible," he added. "We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe."