How France’s recognition of the state of Palestine could shift Middle East dynamics

France's bold decision to recognize the state of Palestine could help to shift conversations about the future of the Middle East, even if it's unlikely to have an immediate impact for people in Gaza or on Israel's war with Hamas.

- BY JOHN LEICESTER

In a world where nations are again using military force to impose their will on others — notably Russia in Ukraine, and the U.S. and Israel with their recent strikes on Iran and its nuclear facilities — French President Emmanuel Macron is attempting to strike a blow for diplomacy and the idea that war rarely brings peace.

With less than two years left of his second and last term as president, Macron also has his legacy to think about. Not acting decisively as a humanitarian disaster unfolds in Gaza could be a stain when history books are written.

Macron has levers to influence world affairs as leader of a nuclear-armed, economically and diplomatically powerful country that also sits at the big table at the United Nations, as one of the five permanent members of its security council.

Being the first member of the G7 group of industrialized nations to take this leap carries domestic risks. Presiding over a country with both Europe’s largest Jewish population and largest Muslim population, Macron is on a public opinion tightrope. His words will please some voters but infuriate others — a fact reflected by deeply divided political reactions in France to his decision announced on X on Thursday evening.

But after staunchly backing Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and its Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, Macron is signaling that France’s support can only go so far.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the shift by one of his country’s closer allies in Europe.