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The announcement sets France apart from the United States and most of its close allies, and could cause friction with President Trump.
July 24, 2025, 3:55 p.m. ET
President Emmanuel Macron announced late Thursday that France would recognize Palestine as a state in pursuit of what he called the historical French commitment “to a just and durable peace in the Middle East.”
In a surprise statement on X that followed months of hints and hesitations over possible French recognition of a Palestinian state, he said that he would make a formal announcement to this effect at the United Nations General Assembly in September in New York.
“Today the most urgent thing is that the war in Gaza cease and the civilian population be helped,” Mr. Macron said.
Most nations of the world recognize Palestine as a nation, but the United States and most of its close allies do not. With Mr. Macron’s decision, France would become the first of the Group of 7 major industrialized nations — also including the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan and Italy — to do so.
The move appeared likely to irk the Trump administration as it pursues its own attempts to end the war in Gaza.
Roger Cohen is the Paris Bureau chief for The Times, covering France and beyond. He has reported on wars in Lebanon, Bosnia and Ukraine, and between Israel and Gaza, in more than four decades as a journalist. At The Times, he has been a correspondent, foreign editor and columnist.
