Attack on Iran derails France's plans to recognize a Palestinian state
Emmanuel Macron wanted to make history. He aimed to be at the forefront of a "political solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by launching an international "momentum" centered on France's recognition of a Palestinian state, as he put it. The date for this "path to peace" was set for Wednesday, June 18. In New York, from the United Nations headquarters, the French president, together with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was to revive the two-state solution, which has fallen out of favor for many years.
But all of Macron's ambitions were dashed on Friday morning. Israeli strikes in Iran destroyed nuclear and military sites belonging to the regime and, in Israeli terms, "decapitated" the Iranian general staff, disrupting the geopolitical calendar. The United Nations conference was postponed indefinitely. Officially, for "logistical" and "security" reasons, Macron said at a press conference held at the Elysée on evening. "The crown prince, like the president of the Palestinian Authority, told me that they were not in a logistical, physical, security, or political position to travel to New York," he said. Macron insisted this was "pure realism."
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'Message of solidarity and friendship': Macron visits Greenland
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Euronews
3 hours ago
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In a remarkable development that reflects the expansion of the open confrontation betweenIran and Israel, the Yemeni Houthi groupannounced on Sunday that it had targeted the Jaffa area with several ballistic missiles, in an attack that was coordinated with Tehran, according to official statements by the group. The entry of the Houthis, Iran's allies in Yemen, into the battle opens a new phase of regional escalation and reinforces the possibility of a "multilateral front" against Israel. Ansar Allah's military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement that the attack was carried out during the past 24 hours and targeted what he described as "sensitive sites" in the city of Jaffa in Israel. Saree confirmed that the operation was carried out in co-ordination with the recent Iranian attacks on Israel. 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Almost 48 hours after the eruption of hostilities between Israel and Iran, concerted but limited diplomatic efforts appear to be underway to prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control and ultimately bring it to a resolution. US president Donald Trump declared on Sunday that 'we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran' and that the countries 'should make a deal and will make a deal'. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!', the US president said in a post on his social media on Sunday. Meanwhile, as Israel has expanded its onslaught on Iran, Tehran has reached out to Qatar and Oman through diplomatic channels asking for regional mediators to intervene in relaunching negotiations, multiple Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday citing Israeli government sources. 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However, the Iranian foreign minister still chose to add a defiant tone to his statement by saying that Iran would not accept any deal that 'deprives Iran of its nuclear rights' and that continuing talks with the United States in the current circumstances would be 'unjustifiable'. Meanwhile Israel has pressed on with its operations on Sunday, warning Iran to evacuate the nuclear sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the attack site in Bat Yam, where he declared: "Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of civilians, women, and children that they committed intentionally." Netanyahu added: "We are here because we are in an existential battle—something that is now clear to every Israeli citizen. Just imagine what would happen if Iran possessed nuclear weapons to launch against Israeli cities." Israel remains skeptical that Iran would respect any future deal and instead asked the Trump administration to join its efforts to destroy Iran's nuclear programmes, according to Israeli officials. Washington however refuses to get involved directly. Meanwhile, European leaders have been calling for a diplomatic solution to avoid an all-out war that could spiral across the Middle East and beyond, but security expert Claude Moniquet told Euronews that Europe has been left 'sitting on the sidelines'. Those talks may now be in doubt, but 'the Europeans were excluded' from them anyway, Moniquet pointed out. 'Europeans have been pretty much excluded from all major diplomatic manoeuvres around the war in Gaza or the war in Lebanon,' the former French intelligence officer and author said.
