Macron’s Palestine Plan comes across violent criticism from Israel and the USA

Macron’s Palestine Plan

“Such a step is rewarded terror”

Macron’s plan to recognize Palestine as a state meets violent resistance in Israel and the USA. At the same time, the talks over a ceasefire, in Gaza.

With his announcement that he wants to recognize Palestine as a state, France’s President Emmanuel Macron has attracted sharp criticism of Israel and France’s allies from the United States. “Such a step is rewarded terror,” said a statement by the office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on the platform X: “This ruthless decision only serves the Hamas propaganda and throws peace back”. Meanwhile, it is uncertain how the efforts about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continue. The United States and Israel called back their respective negotiating delegations from Qatar.

Macron’s announcement is a slap in the face of the victims of the massacre of Islamist Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7, 2023 in Israel, Rubio wrote. The attack, in which more than 250 people were deported to Gaza and more than 1,200 people were killed, was triggered by the war.

Macron had shortly announced on X that he would announce the recognition of Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September. Hamas welcomed Macron’s plans and called on all states to follow him.

The Islamist organization is not willing to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the US specialist Steve Witkoff wrote to X. Although the intermediaries had made great efforts, Hamas did not seem to be coordinated or honestly. “It is a shame that Hamas acted so selfish,” wrote Witkoff. “We will now check other options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable location for the people in Gaza”.

Israel now also wants to advise on how to proceed. Hours earlier, Hamas had given the intermediaries an answer to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire.

BSW party leader Sahra Wagenknecht has described France’s decision to recognize Palestine as “a remarkable decision by the French President” and demanded a similar step by Germany. She said in an interview with T-Online, and Germany should also recognize Palestine as a state. Instead, the federal government continues to insulate itself with its Israel policy.

Wagenknecht emphasized that the federal government was “jointly responsible for war crimes and hungry in Gaza if it continues to provide Netanyahu’s weapons”. The SPD should no longer only be outraged, but must enforce a change of course in Middle East policy or leave the federal government. Finally, Wagenknecht warned: “In Gaza there is a threat of genocide!”.

A representative of the terrorist organization reacted surprised to Witkoff’s statements. According to the Islamists, the talks in Qatar had been positive. Shortly before the recall of the US negotiation team, it was said from Hamas circles, with a rapid answer of Israel, the way to an agreement could be followed within days.

Now, for explanations by the intermediaries, they hope to understand what happened, it said. In a statement, the Islamist organization emphasized its willingness to continue negotiations to achieve a ceasefire.

“Peace is possible,” Macron wrote to X to recognize Palestine as a state in connection with his announcement. It is urgently needed to end the war in Gaza, to provide help to the civilian population and to ensure the demilitarization of Hamas.