Washington has expressed outrage over French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

“The United States strongly rejects Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X late 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,” he added, referring to an October 7, 2023 cross-border raid by the Palestinian resistance group.

Macron on Thursday declared his intent to recognise Palestine during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, saying in a public letter addressed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “I have the honour of confirming that, in light of your commitments, France will fully recognise Palestine as a State when I go to the United Nations General Assembly in September.”

“In doing so, France will make a decisive contribution to peace in the Middle East and will mobilise all its international partners that wish to take part,” he added.

First G7 member to recognise Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Macron’s move, saying that recognition under current conditions “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee mocked Macron’s recognition of a Palestinian state, writing on X: “Macron's unilateral ‘declaration’ of a ‘Palestinian’ state didn't say WHERE it would be. I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera & the new nation will be called ‘Franc-en-Stine’.”

France will become the first member of the G7 – a group of the world’s largest advanced economies – to recognise a Palestinian state. Currently, 147 out of 193 UN member states officially recognise the State of Palestine.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh welcomed Macron’s decision, calling it a reflection of “France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”

The move also comes amid Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health care system, and led to severe food shortages.