Saturday, 26 July 2025

Will Macron's recognition of Palestine do any good?

Most people will probably understand why President Emmanuel Macron announced that he intends to recognise Palestine as a state. He has been sickened by the deaths and destruction and reports of malnutrition and suffering of children in Gaza and felt someone, ie him, should at least do something to try and change the world's antipathy. But is it just a premature gesture? Will it comfort Hamas? Will it actually achieve anything? Will it bring the remaining hostages home to their families in Israel? Will it end the suffering? Unfortunately the answer to all these questions is, no it won't. In fact, what it will do is muddy the waters, bring further division between the US and France/Europe, and make Israel angrier and more dismissive of outsiders trying to muscle in. Also, there isn't a state to recognise. Gaza is being destroyed, the West Bank is a wasp's nest of hostility and rivalry and there certainly isn't a decent leader ready to become president of a Palestinian state, if it ever materialises. So Macron's announcement is fairly pointless, especially if no other European country joins him. Keir Starmer has already indicated that he won't follow Macron, realising that it's not the time to make gestures. The worst reaction to Macron's announcement came from Hamas which was very happy with the French leader, praising him for his statement. It was Hamas which was responsible for the appalling tragedy we see every day in Gaza when the terrorist rulers of the tiny territorial Strip sent hundreds of armed gunmen and rapists across the border to kill 1,200 Israelis, civilian and military, and foreign nationals, injure and maim hundreds more and capture 250 hostages on October 7, 2023.

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