The French President Emmanuel Macron said France could recognise a Palestinian state in June, adding that in turn some countries in the Middle East could also recognise the state of Israel.
“We need to move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state). And so over the next few months, we will. I’m not doing it to please anyone. I’ll do it because at some point it will be right,” he said during an interview on France 5 television.
“And because I also want to take part in a collective dynamic that should also enable those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in their turn, something that many of them are not doing.”
Even though Palestine has been recognized as a sovereign state by almost 150 countries, most major Western powers have not, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Japan.
Among countries that do not recognize Israel are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
“Our objective is somewhere in June, with Saudi Arabia, to chair this conference where we could finalise the movement towards reciprocal recognition by several countries,” Macron said.
Should Macron be able to roll out his plans fully, it would be truly historical and perhaps turn out to be the onset of a new chapter in West Asia. However, such issues remain unpredictable till the signatures of all the parties concerned are obtained on the dotted lines.
Should a lasting ceasefire and peace arrangement be reached in Gaza, it would certainly help Macron in pushing his proposal in June, in the conference. Till then, ifs and buts will remain, and parties inimical to the proposal could unleash a violent strategy to create an atmosphere that hinders such proposals being pursued. France will have to undertake some deft diplomacy to keep the issue in focus and on the table.
Team Bharatshakti
(With Inputs from Reuters)
