French President Emmanuel Macron has formally announced to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th United Nations General Assembly session in New York. Addressing the session, Mr Macron said that recognising a Palestinian state is the only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace, describing the decision as a defeat for Hamas. He emphasised that acknowledging the rights of the Palestinian people takes nothing away from the rights of the people of Israel, who France supported from day one.

French President’s announcement comes a day after Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia also announced their formal recognition of Palestine. The decisions by the UK and France are seen as significant as both are members of the G7 and the UN Security Council. On September 12, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution reviving a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, less than 24 hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would never be a Palestinian state.

India was among the 142 nations that voted in favour of the resolution titled ‘Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution’. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday strongly opposed the UK, Canada, and Australia’s move to recognise Palestine and said that there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River. He alleged that by recognising Palestine, they are “rewarding terror with an enormous prize,” expressing his determination not to let this happen.