Macron’s Recognition of Palestine – A New Effort to Revive the Two-State Solution

French President Emmanuel Macron faces numerous challenges at home, leading a fragile and minority government with weak public support. Despite these difficulties, he remains unmatched in foreign policy when it comes to setting trends and shaping international opinion. This was especially clear on July 24, 2025, when he announced that France would recognise the Palestinian state at the United Nations summit in New York this September. Macron’s move aims to revive momentum for the “two-state solution” – a concept many EU members nominally back but often hesitate to take the lead in implementing. To understand the political significance of this decision, the following explores how Macron’s initiative was received both within France’s political landscape and across the EU.

French Political Scene Further Polarised

Although Macron struggles to gain support on almost any issue domestically, the question of Palestine is a notable exception. Left-leaning parties – including La France Insoumise (LFI), the Communists, the Greens, and the Socialists – openly back his move, seeing it as a necessary step toward peace in the Middle East. While LFI criticises the fact that the decision will be officially take place only in September, they still call the recognition a “moral victory” and stress the urgency to “end the genocide”. The Socialists highlight that this is a prerequisite for a “sustainable political solution”, the Communists describe it as a “correction of historical injustice”, and the Greens view it as a reaffirmation of an “undeniable reality”. What unites these groups is their call for France to impose an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel by September, as well as for the EU to suspend its trade agreement with Israel. This sends a clear message that recognising Palestine “obliges” and must be followed by concrete steps if it is to have genuine meaning..

While Macron has indeed gained some support from the left-wing bloc, it is clear that the right will seize the opportunity to intensify their ongoing attacks against the French president. Conservative and right-wing parties – including the National Rally (RN), the Right for the Republic (UDR), and the far-right Reconquête – view this move as a foreign policy failure. As the largest opposition party, RN stated that “recognising a Palestinian state today means recognising a Hamas state, and therefore a terrorist state.” Reconquête called it a “gift to Hamas”, while UDR claimed the decision was made purely for “electoral reasons”. Unlike the left, the right firmly rejects any talk of sanctions against Israel, an arms embargo, or suspending the EU-Israel trade agreement. These positions suggest that the recognition of Palestine will become a tool for further polarisation of the French political landscape.

The Palestinian Issue Within the EU

When it comes to EU institutions, the official EU policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has historically focused on maintaining neutrality. The EU has consistently supported the two-state solution, presenting it as the only viable path to ensure peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. However, this hasn’t stopped significant disagreements among top EU leaders over how to approach the issue. For example, the previous EU leadership, which lasted until 2024, saw open clashes between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen –  whose statements were often seen as pro-Israel – and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell – who openly sided with the Palestinian cause. Although these differences are less pronounced in the current leadership setup, the requirement for unanimous decisions in EU foreign policy has contributed to slow and cautious action by EU institutions in this matter. Against this backdrop, the positions of individual member states – and any shifts in their stances regarding the recognition of Palestine – are expected to become increasingly important moving forward.

Before the war in Gaza began in 2023, efforts to recognise Palestinian statehood received limited support among EU member states. Until 2004, no EU country had officially recognised Palestine. When the EU expanded, it effectively “imported” the recognition of Palestine, as many new members – Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary – had already recognised it in 1988. Looking at changes made during EU membership, Sweden was the first – and for a long time the only – country to recognise Palestine, doing so in 2013. Despite its move, Palestine has not been a high priority on the EU agenda over the following decade. That changed in 2024, when Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia took a stand, arguing that a two-state solution would promote peace while condemning Israel’s actions that caused heavy casualties and violated international law. Shortly afterwards, Malta also announced plans to recognise Palestine. Now, with Macron’s recent announcement – followed by plans of recognition by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia – it is expected that an increasing number of EU member states will take a clearer position and seriously consider recognising the Palestinian state. As the UN summit in September is fast approaching, it promises to be consequential.

Originally posted on EUpravozato.