France has chosen the worst possible moment to make the worst possible statement: rewarding terror while Jews are still being held hostage in Gaza.
The Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023 claimed more than 1,200 Israeli lives and led to the abduction of hundreds. Countries around the world reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s security and the fight against terror. But at precisely that moment, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state in September, a unilateral move taken amid a war that Israel did not choose.
The message is unmistakable. Murder, kidnappings and terror attacks are portrayed as a legitimate path to political rewards. Instead of demanding fundamental conditions like Hamas’s disarmament and the release of hostages, Macron opts to confer recognition with no strings attached. This is not only a diplomatic blunder; it sends a dangerous message: violence pays.
Beyond the immediate danger lies an even deeper hypocrisy. France lectures the world on self-determination while holding on to 13 overseas territories, former colonies. In New Caledonia, the native Kanak people have sought independence for decades, pursuing legal and democratic channels, yet Paris refuses to relinquish control and even deploys force.
Such a stance risks implying that for groups like the Kanaks, even decades of peaceful struggle are meaningless, that only violence forces recognition. Is that truly the lesson France wishes to teach?
At home, the situation is equally troubling
At home, the situation is equally troubling. Figures from the French Interior Ministry and the CRIF show that antisemitic incidents in 2023 reached levels not seen in decades. The Consistoire of French Jewry warned that unilateral recognition, absent conditions like hostage release and Hamas’s disarmament, would stoke antisemitism and endanger French Jews further.
From Washington, the response was sharp. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Macron’s step “reckless,” warning it “hands propaganda ammunition to Hamas.”
US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner was quoted in reports as saying recognition “encourages extremists instead of demanding that they disarm,” sparking public friction with Paris. A State Department spokesperson added: “This is not the right time for unilateral steps,” stressing that such moves undermine moderates and hinder peace efforts.
Yosef Taieb is a member of Knesset from the Shas faction and Head of the Israel–France Parliamentary Friendship Group.