In an interview with CBS, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the recognition of Palestine marks the beginning of a political process from which he expects a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Macron reiterated that his call for recognizing Palestine and his objections to the war in Gaza are “not at all antisemitic.”
Furthermore, Macron described as “inappropriate” the public accusations from the US Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner—father-in-law to Ivanka Trump—who claimed the French leader was not doing enough to combat antisemitism in France. The incident led to the ambassador being summoned to the French Foreign Ministry (Quai d’Orsay) in recent weeks, which condemned the “unacceptable” accusations.
These statements come as a High-Level Conference on the Two-State Solution, convened by France and Saudi Arabia, and an informal G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, convened by the Canadian presidency, are scheduled for today. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is participating in both events.
Separately, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Portugal formally recognized the State of Palestine yesterday, bringing the total number of countries that have done so to over 150. Malta is expected to announce its formal recognition today. The United States dismissed these moves by key allies as “purely symbolic,” with a State Department spokesman emphasizing that the US priority remains “serious diplomacy, not symbolic gestures,” focused on hostage release, Israel’s security, and a Hamas-free future for the region.
Minister Tajani is in New York to participate in the High-Level Week of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA). His agenda includes the Two-State Solution conference and the G7 ministerial meeting.