France is set to recognise Palestine in June, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in an interview with a French television channel on 9 April. “Our goal is to lead a conference in June, alongside Saudi Arabia and several other countries, which could result in recognition,” Macron said. In turn, some Middle Eastern countries could recognise the state of Israel, he added.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the announcement, describing it as “a step in the right direction, in line with safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution”. Currently, 147 of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine, with Spain, Ireland and Norway joining the list last May. However several major Western countries — including the US, the UK and Germany — have withheld recognition.
Meanwhile, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen do not recognise the state of Israel.