The recognition of the State of Palestine by several Western countries in September, at France’s initiative, stood out as one of the key diplomatic moments of 2025. Largely symbolic for Palestinians, the move raised questions about whether it could break a decades-long geopolitical stalemate.
Issued on: 29/12/2025
FRANCE24
By:Marc DAOU
This file photo shows Palestinians flying their flags during a rally in support for Gaza and celebrating the latest western nations recognitions of the Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on September 23, 2025. © Nasser Nasser, AP
The Palestinian cause scored a symbolic victory in 2025 as several Western countries that had long shown caution or ambiguity formally recognised the State of Palestine.
In September, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, France, Britain, Portugal, Canada, Australia and Belgium, among others, announced they were recognising Palestine, as Israel continued its war in Gaza and stepped up settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
France takes the lead
France played a driving role in the unprecedented wave of recognitions, prompting strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected the creation of a Palestinian state and described it as "a huge reward for terrorism", referring to Hamas and the October 7 attacks.
After years of rhetorical support for a Palestinian state, conditioned on prior peace with Israel, Paris ultimately decided to move to formal recognition on September 22, when President Emmanuel Macron addressed the UN General Assembly.
The decision was presented as an explicit endorsement of the two-state solution, long viewed as the central framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"This recognition is unquestionably a very important moment in the history of this conflict, as well as for French diplomacy, particularly in the way it was carried out," said Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, emeritus professor and honorary president of the Institute for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East (IREMMO). "There is indeed a symbolic dimension, but it is more than that, because it is a significant political act."
"France sought to rally part of the Western world that had previously been reluctant," he added, noting that the broader French initiative led to the New York Declaration, signed by 142 states.
France’s recognition formed part of a wider diplomatic push, including an international conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia that culminated on September 12 in the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the New York Declaration, which described recognition of the Palestinian state as "essential and indispensable".
The declaration laid out what was described as an "irreversible" roadmap for a political settlement based on the two-state solution and excluded Hamas from any political role in Gaza.
"Ultimately, this kind of recognition comes down to the decision of one person – the president – who, like anyone else, has doubts and hesitations," Chagnollaud said. "Last spring, I wouldn’t have bet a euro on France recognising the (Palestinian) state. But what Emmanuel Macron saw in April, when he travelled close to Gaza during a visit to Egypt, and the atrocities then being committed, pushed him to act."
Limited effects
Despite opening the way for closer bilateral ties and increasing pressure on the Palestinian Authority to pursue reforms, the recognitions remain largely insufficient given the realities on the ground.
Even if France said the move increased pressure on Israel to accept the Gaza ceasefire demanded by US President Donald Trump a couple of weeks after the UN General Assembly, recognition has not ended the occupation, halted settlement expansion or stopped violence against Palestinian civilians. Nor has it sidelined Hamas, which continues to control the Gaza strip.
Without concrete implementation of the New York Declaration, stronger pressure on the Israeli government and a clear US willingness to rebalance power dynamics, the recognitions risk remaining largely symbolic, with little impact on Palestinians’ daily lives.
"The effects are clearly limited and, in some respects, counterproductive," Chagnollaud said. "They are limited because recognition has no direct impact, and because France and the Europeans lack leverage on the ground, unlike the Americans, who are clearly opposed to this recognition and to the New York Declaration."
"The move is counterproductive if all these states that have taken the step of recognition stop there,” he added. “And unfortunately, that is the case since they have not lifted a finger to jointly impose a reality on the ground, for example through sanctions against Israel, which has waged a war that has annihilated an entire society and is doing everything, including in the West Bank, to undermine the very idea of a Palestinian state."
The diplomatic momentum was soon overshadowed by Donald Trump’s peace plan, which succeeded in imposing a ceasefire in Gaza but was structured around US and Israeli security priorities, leaving intact the grievances that fuel violence and undermine prospects for lasting peace.
"We are heading towards the crushing of the Palestinian question, both literally and figuratively,” Chagnollaud said. “I even think that in 2026 we will witness one of the worst periods in Palestinian history."
This article was translated from the original in French by Anaëlle Jonah.
The Palestinian cause scored a symbolic victory in 2025 as several Western countries that had long shown caution or ambiguity formally recognised the State of Palestine.
In September, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, France, Britain, Portugal, Canada, Australia and Belgium, among others, announced they were recognising Palestine, as Israel continued its war in Gaza and stepped up settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
France takes the lead
France played a driving role in the unprecedented wave of recognitions, prompting strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected the creation of a Palestinian state and described it as "a huge reward for terrorism", referring to Hamas and the October 7 attacks.
After years of rhetorical support for a Palestinian state, conditioned on prior peace with Israel, Paris ultimately decided to move to formal recognition on September 22, when President Emmanuel Macron addressed the UN General Assembly.
The decision was presented as an explicit endorsement of the two-state solution, long viewed as the central framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"This recognition is unquestionably a very important moment in the history of this conflict, as well as for French diplomacy, particularly in the way it was carried out," said Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, emeritus professor and honorary president of the Institute for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East (IREMMO). "There is indeed a symbolic dimension, but it is more than that, because it is a significant political act."
"France sought to rally part of the Western world that had previously been reluctant," he added, noting that the broader French initiative led to the New York Declaration, signed by 142 states.
France’s recognition formed part of a wider diplomatic push, including an international conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia that culminated on September 12 in the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the New York Declaration, which described recognition of the Palestinian state as "essential and indispensable".
The declaration laid out what was described as an "irreversible" roadmap for a political settlement based on the two-state solution and excluded Hamas from any political role in Gaza.
"Ultimately, this kind of recognition comes down to the decision of one person – the president – who, like anyone else, has doubts and hesitations," Chagnollaud said. "Last spring, I wouldn’t have bet a euro on France recognising the (Palestinian) state. But what Emmanuel Macron saw in April, when he travelled close to Gaza during a visit to Egypt, and the atrocities then being committed, pushed him to act."
Limited effects
Despite opening the way for closer bilateral ties and increasing pressure on the Palestinian Authority to pursue reforms, the recognitions remain largely insufficient given the realities on the ground.
Even if France said the move increased pressure on Israel to accept the Gaza ceasefire demanded by US President Donald Trump a couple of weeks after the UN General Assembly, recognition has not ended the occupation, halted settlement expansion or stopped violence against Palestinian civilians. Nor has it sidelined Hamas, which continues to control the Gaza strip.
Without concrete implementation of the New York Declaration, stronger pressure on the Israeli government and a clear US willingness to rebalance power dynamics, the recognitions risk remaining largely symbolic, with little impact on Palestinians’ daily lives.
"The effects are clearly limited and, in some respects, counterproductive," Chagnollaud said. "They are limited because recognition has no direct impact, and because France and the Europeans lack leverage on the ground, unlike the Americans, who are clearly opposed to this recognition and to the New York Declaration."
"The move is counterproductive if all these states that have taken the step of recognition stop there,” he added. “And unfortunately, that is the case since they have not lifted a finger to jointly impose a reality on the ground, for example through sanctions against Israel, which has waged a war that has annihilated an entire society and is doing everything, including in the West Bank, to undermine the very idea of a Palestinian state."
The diplomatic momentum was soon overshadowed by Donald Trump’s peace plan, which succeeded in imposing a ceasefire in Gaza but was structured around US and Israeli security priorities, leaving intact the grievances that fuel violence and undermine prospects for lasting peace.
"We are heading towards the crushing of the Palestinian question, both literally and figuratively,” Chagnollaud said. “I even think that in 2026 we will witness one of the worst periods in Palestinian history."
This article was translated from the original in French by Anaëlle Jonah.
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