France says no one can dictate Paris' position on recognizing Palestinian state

ISTANBUL

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that no one can dictate Paris' position on recognizing a Palestinian state, urging the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the use of brutal force in Gaza and instead focus on diplomacy and negotiations for a ceasefire.

“No one will dictate France’s position. France will do it because France believes in a lasting political solution for the region, in the interest of Israel’s security as well as in the interest of the Palestinians’ security,” Barrot said during a question-and-answer session at the National Assembly.

Barrot reiterated their goal of bringing together countries willing to recognize Palestine as a state.

“In no way has the brutal force promised by Mr. Netanyahu’s government today enabled the release of the hostages, nor has it led to the disarmament of Hamas so far."

"And that brutal force must now give way to diplomacy, to negotiation for a ceasefire, for the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid that civilians in Gaza need, and for the release of all hostages held in Hamas’s tunnels,” he added.

His remarks come after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state in June.

“A ‘unilateral recognition’ of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas,” Sa’ar claimed in a statement on X.