Over two-thirds of French citizens and almost 90% of the British public don’t support their governments’ expected moves this week to recognize a Palestinian state without preconditions, such as Hamas’s release of hostages and surrender, being met, according to two separate polls by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) and JL Partners.
The poll published Thursday by CRIF and research and marketing company Ifop found that 71% of French respondents did not support the recognition of a Palestinian state before preconditions were met by Hamas. Some 38% said recognition could only occur after at least one condition, Hamas’s surrender to the IDF or the release of the hostages taken captive during the October 7 massacre, was reached. Another 33% said that no recognition should occur in the short term.
Support for recognition with preconditions dropped from 47% in June to 38% in early September, while the rejection of immediate recognition altogether rose from 31% to 33% in the same time frame. Support for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state rose from 22% in June to 29% in September.
Some 44% of respondents under the age of 35 supported unconditional recognition, with 55% of respondents ages 18-24 in favor of immediate recognition. Of the respondents under 35, 31% and 25% supported recognition with conditions or no recognition in the short term, respectively.
Among political parties, 78% of the far-left La France Insoumise supported immediate recognition, while on the other end of the spectrum, 60% of National Rally respondents rejected recognition. Some 41% of respondents supporting French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party were in favor of his July 24 announcement to recognize a Palestinian state without preconditions at this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
On Saturday, The Telegraph reported that a JL Partners survey indicated that 87% of Britons did not support Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state without conditions on Hamas, a move that was expected to occur on Sunday evening at the UNGA.
The UK outlet said that a 51% majority of the British public opposed recognition while Hamas controlled Gaza and had not released hostages, and another 40% believed that Palestinian statehood should be conditioned on the release of hostages and Hamas’s agreement to a ceasefire. 52% of respondents believed that granting statehood rewarded Gazan terrorists.
The Telegraph reported that only 13% of the 2,118 respondents to the August survey supported unconditional state recognition, while 17% opposed recognition under any circumstance.
Not a matter of political parties
Broken down by political party affiliation, 94% of Conservatives, 92% of Reform, 89% of Labour, and 68% of Green respondents didn’t agree with recognizing a Palestinian state without conditions, the paper noted.
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli cited both polls on social media on Sunday, questioning why Starmer and Macron neglected to represent the will of the British or French people.
“Common sense still prevails in these nations – but only just,” Chikli said on X/Twitter, warning that the future of the countries hung in the balance in the next elections.
Starmer announced in July his intention to recognize a Palestinian state, explaining that he would follow through unless Israel accepted a ceasefire, committed to a two-state solution, froze annexation, and expanded humanitarian aid access. The British prime minister also called on Hamas to release its hostages, lay down arms, and withdraw from Palestinian politics but did not set any threats against the Islamic terrorist organization.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council met with UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer on Thursday, warning him that Starmer’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state without conditions disappointed the families of hostages and “may have created incentives on the group [Hamas] to avoid a ceasefire.” The Board issued a joint statement that same day with its counterparts from Canada and Australia, urging their governments not to recognize a Palestinian state without preconditions.
Macron is expected to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state on Monday and rejected criticism that the move emboldened Hamas in a Friday CBS interview, explaining that the terror group does not want a Palestinian state and that showing the Palestinian people that peace was possible would isolate the terrorist group.
Twenty French Jewish leaders on Friday issued a joint letter to Macron urging him to only recognize a Palestinian state after the release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas, warning that any other action was a capitulation to terrorism.