INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The recognition of a Palestinian state is no longer a taboo for France, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, suggesting Paris could
make the decision if efforts for a two-state solution stalled because of Israeli opposition.A unilateral French recognition would do little
to change the situation on the ground without true negotiations, but would weigh symbolically and diplomatically, Reuters reported.Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced opposition to Palestinian sovereignty, saying he will not compromise on full Israeli security
control west of Jordan and that this stands contrary to a Palestinian state.French lawmakers voted in 2014 to urge their government to
recognise Palestine, a symbolic move that had little impact on France&s diplomatic stance.Macron&s comments were the first time a French
leader had made such a suggestion and highlighted further impatience among Western leaders as casualties mount in Gaza from Israeli
retaliation after an attack on Oct
7 by Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas that killed 1,200 people, and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.&Our partners
in the region, notably Jordan, are working on it, we are working on it with them
We are ready to contribute to it, in Europe and in the Security Council
The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France,& Macron said alongside Jordan&s King Abdullah II in Paris.&We owe it to
the Palestinians, whose aspirations have been trampled on for too long
We owe it to the Israelis who lived through the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century
We owe it to a region that longs to escape the promoters of chaos and the those who sow revenge,& he said.Macron&s comments are likely aimed
at adding pressure on Israel.Israel&s massive aerial and ground offensive in small, densely populated Gaza has killed more than 28,000
Palestinians, flattened built-up areas and left most of its 2.3 million people homeless.While most developing countries recognise Palestine
as a state, most Western European countries do not, arguing that an independent Palestinian state should emerge from negotiations with
Israel.British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said earlier this month that part of British policy is to say there will be a time when
Britain would look to recognise a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations.Macron added that an Israeli offensive in Rafah could
only lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and would be a turning point in the conflict.The post France&s Macron opens door to
recognising Palestinian state first appeared on Ariana News.
