French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced that France will recognise Palestine as a state, as anger mounts over the death toll in Gaza and the growing number of people starving in the enclave.
Mr Macron said he will formalise the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″
More than 140 countries recognise Palestinian statehood but Israel and the US are staunchly opposed. The US State Department did not immediately return a request for comment on France's move.
France joins Norway, Ireland and Spain as the countries in Europe that have so far recognised Palestine. To date, only nine EU member states have taken this step, making France’s move particularly significant—especially given its status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
"The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and rescue the civilian population," Mr Macron wrote.
"We must finally build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability and enable it, by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, to contribute to the security of all in the Middle East."
Some 40 foreign ministers are expected next week in New York to discuss a two-state solution as a first step towards September's meeting. The leaders' conference had initially been scheduled for June 18 but was pushed back because Arab leaders were unable to travel after most of the Middle East closed its airspace amid an air war between Israel and Iran.
Israel has for months argued that recognising Palestine would be akin to rewarding Hamas for leading the October 7, 2023 attacks. It has also threatened to annex the West Bank in response - which would in effect block the establishment of a Palestinian state by depriving it of its land.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he strongly condemned France's decision.
"Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became," he said. "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel."
Israel is also highly sensitive to political pressure from Europe, having worked hard behind the scenes diplomatically to avoid any backlash after the bloc found that Israel had breached a human rights clause that is enshrined in their relations.
Last week, the EU struck a deal with Gaza to allow more aid in, though it appears European countries are now dissatisfied with the agreement because of how little food has since entered the enclave.
Images of starving children in Gaza have shocked the world, and Mr Macron is set to discuss the situation during an emergency call with leaders of Germany and the UK on Friday.
French officials say that recognising Palestine is the opposite of a reward to Hamas, because it gives Israelis and Palestinians the possibility to break the cycle of violence and live side by side peacefully.
Mr Macron framed his move as a response to a letter from Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas sent to him in June, in which he condemned the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, 21 months ago. Mr Abbas also promised to reform the PA and to organise presidential and legislative elections in 2026.
France, like other European countries, views the PA as the only alternative to Hamas in Gaza and supports a demilitarised Palestinian state. Mr Macron's letter to Mr Abbas was hand delivered to Mr Abbas on Thursday by France's consul in Jerusalem, Nicolas Kassianides.
Yet initial hopes that Arab states would join France in an exercise of "mutual recognition," meaning that Saudi Arabia would at the same time normalise relations with Israel, have been dashed by failures to end the Gaza war.
Saudi Arabia has no intention of engaging without a ceasefire and demands a clear pathway to a Palestinian state from Israel as a counterpart to normalisation.
Mr Macron had always said he did not want to move alone like Spain, Norway and Ireland did last year when they recognised Palestine with little consequence on the ground. France now appears isolated, though there is a strong expectation that the UK may join Paris in recognising Palestine later this year.
Speaking earlier this month in front of the House of Commons, Mr Macron said: "Working together in order to recognise the state of Palestine and to initiate this political momentum is the only path to peace."
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
