Emmanuel Macron decided he wanted to wait for ‘the right moment’ before recognising Palestinian statehood. Spain, Ireland and Norway had taken the plunge in May 2024, but it was still too soon, he felt. By then, Sweden’s recognition of Palestine was a decade in the past, the bombardment of Gaza had lasted eight months, and Palestine had declared independence 36 years earlier. Three quarters of the world’s countries had recognised Palestine. But the French president still felt he could wait a few more months.
In the end, he waited 16 months. On 22 September Macron finally announced France’s recognition from the podium at the UN, at the same time as Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco. Canada, the UK, Australia and Portugal had done so the day before. ‘The time has come to stop the war, the bombardment of Gaza, the massacres and the flight of civilians,’ he declared gravely, carefully avoiding any threat of sanctions against Israel and neglecting to specify which borders France recognised.
With 65,000 people dead and some 175,000 injured, and 90% of homes damaged or destroyed, this moment could have come much sooner. On 26 January 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) spoke of a ‘plausible’ risk of genocide in Gaza, noting that the Israeli army was deliberately killing civilians, destroying critical infrastructure and holding the territory under siege, though this was unconnected with its official aim of eliminating Hamas and freeing the hostages.
In November 2024 the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed concerns over war crimes and crimes against humanity, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant. Since the start of the war, reports have steadily accumulated, and whether they frame it as methodical destruction, extermination or genocide, they all conclude that Israel is attempting to annihilate the people of Gaza.
Meeting genocide criteria
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