French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Friday that recognizing the Palestinian state “is not only a moral duty, but a political requirement,” listing several conditions for taking that step, ahead of the United Nations (UN) conference on the topic to be held on June 18th.
At a press conference in Singapore, he also confirmed that Europe must “tighten its collective stance” against Israel, “if, in the coming hours and days, there is no response consistent with the humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip.
In that case, the European Union (EU) will have to “apply” its “rules,” “that is, halt processes that assume respect for human rights, which is currently not the case, and impose sanctions,” he said, referring to the Association Agreement between the EU, the 27-member bloc, and Israel, which should be revised.
“And therefore: yes, we must tighten our stance because it is now a necessity, but I still hope that the Israeli government will change its position and that we will finally receive a humanitarian response,” he added.
France is co-chairing with Saudi Arabia the international conference from June 17th to 20th at the UN in New York on the so-called two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
Without clearly stating whether the Palestinian state will be recognized at that event, Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that the “creation of a Palestinian state” under certain conditions “is not only a moral duty but a political requirement.”
The President listed the conditions for recognition. These include the “release of hostages” held by Hamas, the “demilitarization” of the Palestinian Islamist movement, its “non-participation” in governing that state, the “reform of the Palestinian Authority,” recognition of Israel and “its right to live in security” from that future state, and the “creation of a security architecture throughout the region.”
“That is what we will try to focus on together with this important moment on June 18th, and I will be there,” he said about the UN conference.
