Leaders in London, Rome, and Berlin rejected pressure to follow the lead of Paris in recognizing Palestine as a state after French President Emmanuel Macron broke with the majority of the Western world on the issue.
On Thursday, President Macron announced that France would officially recognize the Hamas-run Palestinian territory as a state at the next United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, sparking condemnations from Israel and the United States.
While Macron held talks with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday, after which they redoubled demands for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, Macron was apparently unable to sway his fellow European leaders on the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Despite considerable pressure from his leftist Labour Party backbenchers, at least 136 of whom demanded he follow Macron’s lead, Starmer said in a statement released on Friday evening that although he supported the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, certain conditions must be met before such a concession is made, such as the return of the Israeli hostages taken during the October 7th terror attacks by Hamas and a ceasefire being agreed to.
“Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this war,” Starmer said per the Times of London.
“Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis. This is the way to ensure it is a tool of maximum utility to improve the lives of those who are suffering — which, of course, will always be our ultimate goal,” the British leader added.
However, Starmer said that the UK would take part in aid air drops into Gaza and that Britain would “pull every lever we have to get food and lifesaving support to Palestinians”. The PM added that British forces would also evacuate children in need of medical treatment and provide care for them in the UK.
On Saturday, conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also broke with Macron, saying that it is not the right time for Rome to recognize Palestine as a state, arguing that doing so for the territory, which lacks defined borders or functioning democratic institutions, would hinder rather than help the progress towards statehood.
“I said it to the Palestinian authority itself, and I also said it to Macron; I believe that the recognition of the State of Palestine, without there being a State of Palestine, can even be counterproductive to the objective. If something that doesn’t exist is recognized on paper, the problem risks seeming solved when it isn’t,” Meloni said, according to Il Sole 24 Ore.
Meanwhile, Berlin also refused to follow the French, with German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius saying that such a move would be “one of the final steps” in the effort for a so-called two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, broadcaster NTV reports.
Kornelius said that presently Germany is focused on the “most urgent issues”, including the release of the Israeli hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and reaching a lasting ceasefire.
The announcement from Macron drew a strong rebuke from Jerusalem, with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin describing it as a “black mark on France’s history” and that it represented a “direct support of terrorism” from Paris.
The condemnation was echoed by the Trump administration in the United States, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Thursday: “This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump quipped that while President Macron is a “good dude”, ultimately “what he says doesn’t matter.”
“It’s not going to change anything,” Trump said. “The statement doesn’t carry any weight. He’s a very good guy, I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”
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