France rallies 15 countries to recognize Palestinian state

Last night, the foreign ministers of 15 countries issued a joint statement in support of recognizing the Palestinian state.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the group "invites those who have not yet done so to join us."

Meanwhile, the French news agency AFP noted that Paris is trying to "build a momentum around the formal recognition of a Palestinian state."

The group of 15 countries currently includes France, Andorra, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as countries outside of Europe such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Recognition of Palestine by Western countries

On Thursday, July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the intention of France to recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly session in September.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Paris's intentions, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that his country would recognize the Palestinian state in September. However, he noted that this would happen if Israel does not cease hostilities in Gaza and does not abandon the annexation of territories.

It is worth noting that the United States, unlike its allies, has "firmly rejected" the French president's plan to recognize the Palestinian state.

Palestine is a region in the Middle East, the territory of which is divided into two parts — the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The West Bank is a hilly area located to the west of the Jordan River, while the Gaza Strip is a coastal territory located to the south of the West Bank.

It should be noted that Palestine is an independent and partially recognized state. As of now, its independence has been recognized by 139 of the 193 UN member states.