Dutch right-wing leader Geert Wilders delivered a fierce rebuke to French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, sarcastically suggesting that southern France could become the new Palestinian state while declaring “Good luck Emmanuel Macron and France! Happy suicide!” in a provocative social media post that gained massive international attention.
Wilders’ post on X reached over 5 million views by Sunday, featuring a map of southern France alongside his sardonic suggestion that the region could serve as the new Palestinian homeland. “Here will be the new Palestinian State. Big parts of France are already islamic anyway,” the Party for Freedom (PVV) leader wrote. “The Netherlands will close its borders immediately.”
The Dutch politician’s response came after Macron announced Thursday that France would formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the next United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already condemned the French decision as a “surrender to terror,” warning that “a Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.”
In a separate post, Wilders accused France of rewarding terrorism, stating: “France rewards the Islamic terrorists of Hamas for their October 7th massacre by recognizing the ‘Palestinian state.’ The Netherlands must NEVER do that. Moreover, there is already a Palestinian state we have recognized, and that is Jordan. Jordan = Palestine!”
The “Jordan is Palestine” position has been central to Wilders’ approach to Middle East policy since his rise to prominence. Following his landslide electoral victory in 2023 — winning 37 of 150 parliamentary seats in what was described as one of the most significant political upheavals in the Netherlands since World War II — Arab states condemned his proposals to relocate Palestinians to Jordan.
Wilders has long maintained that the conflict between Palestinians and Israel could be resolved through recognition of Jordan as a Palestinian state. In 2016, he criticized then-President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, demanding they “stop bashing Israel about settlements” while proclaiming that “Judea and Samaria belong to Israel” and “Jordan = Palestine.”
The argument stems from historical and demographic realities: Jordan was created from 77 percent of the original British Mandate for Palestine, and a majority of its population is ethnically Palestinian. Many fled or were expelled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the 1967 Six-Day War, with Jordan being the only Arab country to fully integrate Palestinian refugees.
Known for his unwavering support of Israel, Wilders has consistently positioned the Jewish state as the West’s first line of defense against Islamic extremism. During a heated Dutch parliamentary debate earlier this year following the collapse of his coalition government, he warned: “If Jerusalem falls, Athens, Paris, or Amsterdam are next.”
“The fact that our mothers in the West can sleep peacefully is because the mothers of Israeli soldiers lie awake,” Wilders said during that parliamentary session, calling Israel “the only democracy in the Middle East” and stating that the Israel Defense Forces were “fighting our battle” against Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israeli leadership has repeatedly praised Wilders’ steadfast support. Netanyahu responded to the Dutch leader’s parliamentary defense of Israel by declaring: “Thank you Geert Wilders! You are a true friend of Israel!” to which Wilders replied: “Proud to be your friend, Israel and @netanyahu!”
President Trump offered a more measured but skeptical response to Macron’s announcement. “Look, he’s a different kind of a guy,” Trump said Friday. “He’s okay — he’s a team player pretty much. He’s a good dude, but what he says doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything. The statement doesn’t carry any weight.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a stronger stance, saying the United States “strongly rejects” Macron’s plan, calling it a “reckless decision” that serves as a “slap in the face” to victims of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians.
The diplomatic fallout continued as Israel summoned France’s deputy ambassador for a formal reprimand on Sunday over Macron’s announcement. Foreign Ministry director general Eden Bar-Tal called in Mikaël Griffon at ministry headquarters in Jerusalem to express Israel’s displeasure with the French position.
Wilders, who has lived under constant security protection for years due to death threats over his criticism of Islam, built his political career on opposing what he views as European accommodation of Islamic influence. Often compared to President Trump and dubbed “the Dutch Donald Trump” by local press, he has promised to halt asylum seeker influx and proposed a referendum for the Netherlands to leave the European Union.
The massive engagement with Wilders’ anti-Macron post demonstrates his continued ability to frame debates on immigration, Islam, and Israel in ways that resonate across Europe and beyond, particularly as European nations find themselves increasingly divided over Middle East policy.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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