Paris: The French president said he is “totally ready” to recognize the Palestinian statehood, but it must be at a “useful moment.”
“There are no taboos for France, and I am totally ready to recognize a Palestinian state … I think this recognition must be at a useful moment,” Emmanuel Macron told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Germany.
He stressed the need for a political process to give a “useful result” and said: “I will not do an emotional recognition.”
Macron vowed that there are no double standards regarding the civilians suffering in conflicts in different parts of the world.
He described the situation in Rafah as “horrifying,” and added: “The operations must stop in Rafah.”
Macron reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself, but noted that it must be done while respecting international and humanitarian law.
He, however, said that there is no safe place for Palestinian civilians.
“We support the Algerian request to hold an urgent meeting (at the UN) and we work with Algeria and all our partners in the Security Council on a joint resolution that would (not only) answer the humanitarian urgency in the field, but also give answers in terms of a cease-fire, and give a clear UN mandate on Gaza,” Macron explained.
He stressed that France is also ready to work on a peace solution, and said that the “most useful action now is to get a cease-fire.”
Ireland, Norway, and Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state on Tuesday, and Belgian officials said they would wait a bit more for a “useful” impact.
