French President Emmanuel Macron called the American decision not to grant visas to Palestinian officials ahead of the UN General Assembly unacceptable on an X/Twitter post on Tuesday, following a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"The American decision not to grant visas to Palestinian officials is unacceptable," Macron's tweet read. "We call for this measure to be reversed and for Palestinian representation to be ensured in accordance with the Host Country Agreement."
"Our objective is clear: to rally the broadest possible international support for the Two-State Solution—the only way to meet the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians."
A two-state solution will require an "a permanent ceasefire" and "the release of all hostages," according to Macron, as well as the expansion of humanitarian aid delivery to Gazans and the "deployment of a stabilization mission in Gaza."
Sa'ar responds to Macron's statements
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar slammed Macron's statement in his own post to X/Twitter, criticizing the one-sided nature of Macron's words.
"President Macron is very interested in visas to the United States for Palestinian Authority officials. That is what keeps him awake at night."
"He does not protest against the rampant incitement in the Palestinian education system against Israel and Jews. He also does not object to the payments transferred by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists and their families under the “pay for slay” method."
"Macron undermines the stability of the region with his actions and drags the regional and international system toward unilateral steps," Sa'ar's wrote. "His actions are dangerous."
France's recognition of a Palestinian state
Macron announced France's intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September in an X/Twitter post in late July.
“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” wrote Macron.
Since Macron's announcement, the United Kingdom, as well as Belgium, Canada, Australia, and many other countries have stated their intentions to join France's recognition of a Palestinian state.
Reuters contributed to this report.