France to recognize Palestine soon: Macron

France wants to officially recognize the state of Palestine in the coming months. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed this news.

In an interview with a journalist from France 5 Television on Wednesday (local time), Macron said, “We must move forward with recognition. We want to do this within the next few months.”

He also mentioned that, in light of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, an international conference will be held at the United Nations in June. France will co-chair this conference along with Saudi Arabia. France hopes to finalize its decision to recognize Palestine at that event.

Palestinian Foreign Minister, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, told the French news agency AFP, “France recognizing Palestine supports the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution. It will be a step in the right direction.”

However, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar strongly opposed this move. He said, “Any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be a move in favor of Hamas.”

According to Al Jazeera, 146 out of 193 UN member countries have so far recognized Palestine as a sovereign state. Last year, Armenia, Slovenia, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados newly recognized Palestine.