France, 14 other countries urge recognition of Palestinian state

France and 14 other Western nations called on countries worldwide to move to recognise a Palestinian state, France’s top diplomat said on Wednesday.

The foreign ministers of 15 countries late on Tuesday issued a joint statement following a conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at reviving a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.

“In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.

President Emmanuel Macron announced last week he would formally recognise Palestinian statehood in September, provoking strong opposition from Israel and the United States. France is hoping to build a momentum around the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

Also on Wednesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that the “humanitarian catastrophe” unfolding in the Gaza Strip was the worst in modern history.

“Gaza is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe that exceeds anything we have witnessed in modern history,” the longtime Western ally said, adding that Jordan was in contact with international partners “to pressure for an end to the war,” now in its 22nd month.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps”, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.

Starmer’s move, paired with Paris, would make the two European allies the first G7 nations to do so.

In the statement, 15 nations including Spain, Norway, and Finland affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.”

Nine of the signatories which have not yet recognised the Palestinian state expressed “the willingness or the positive consideration of their countries” to do so, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League during the conference joined calls for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, Britain on Wednesday rejected criticism that it was rewarding Hamas by setting out plans to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace.

The sight of emaciated Gaza children has shocked the world in recent days and on Tuesday, a hunger monitor warned that a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding there and immediate action was needed to avoid widespread death.

Starmer’s ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of their 2023 cross-border attack.

US President Donald Trump said he did not think Hamas “should be rewarded” with recognition of Palestinian independence.

Asked about that criticism, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander - designated by the government to respond to questions in a series of media interviews on Wednesday — said it was not the right way to characterise Britain’s plan.

“This is not a reward for Hamas. This is about the Palestinian people. It’s about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death,” she told LBC radio. “We’ve got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza.”

The co-founder of pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action can launch a court bid to overturn the UK government’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

The government earlier this month banned the group days after activists broke into an air force base in southern England.

Prosecutors have said they caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft at the base. Being a member or supporting the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Agence France-Presse