French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that France’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state will not include the opening of an embassy until Hamas releases the hostages it is holding in Gaza.
Macron made the announcement during an interview with CBS News that aired on Sunday and which was taped this past Thursday.
“It will be, for us, a requirement very clearly before opening, for instance, an embassy in Palestine,” Macron said in the interview.
Macron has announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state on Monday, during the UN General Assembly.
The interview with the French President aired as Britain, Australia, and Canada officially recognized “Palestine” in a coordinated move on Sunday. Portugal also recognized Palestinian statehood later in the day.
Macron also addressed the future of the Gaza Strip in the CBS interview, voicing strong opposition to any plans for displacing Gazans from the territory during its reconstruction.
“But if the precondition of such a plan is to push them out, this is just a craziness. We should not be – for the credibility of the United States, for the credibility of France – we cannot be implicitly or explicitly complacent with such a project,” he said.