France has joined the United Kingdom and Canada to formally recognised a Palestinian state.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced this at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, on Monday night.
Macron said “the time for peace has come” and that “nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza”.
United States President Donald Trump is due to address the UNGA on Tuesday, as will the leaders of key regional players such as Jordan and Qatar.
On Monday, the US did not attend a one-day summit hosted by France and Saudi Arabia which focused on plans for a two-state solution to the conflict. Fellow G7 states Germany and Italy were also absent.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino are also due to recognise a Palestinian state, after the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced recognition on Sunday.
International pressure is ramping up on Israel over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settlement building in the West Bank.
Israel has said recognition would reward Hamas for the Palestinian armed group’s 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
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Israeli forces are currently carrying out a ground offensive aimed at taking control of Gaza City, where a million people were living and a famine was confirmed last month.
The French leader told the conference that the time had come to stop the war and free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
He warned against the “peril of endless wars” and said “right must always prevail over might”.
The international community had failed to build a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, he said, adding that “we must do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution” that would see “Israel and Palestine side by side in peace and security”.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also addressed the UN, on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
He reiterated that a two-state solution was the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region, BBC reported.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would set up a new financial instrument to work on Gaza’s reconstruction.
“We must all do more. This is why we will set up a Palestine Donor Group,” she said.
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