Why Macron's recognition move is significant

Arab News

6 days ago

https://arab.news/bvgsd
Sacre bleu. France will recognize a state of Palestine. Is this a shock or not something to get worked up about? This was posted on social media by President Emmanuel Macron last Thursday. He said he would formalize recognition at the UN General Assembly in September.
This was much touted, not least by the French leader himself, even when addressing the UK Parliament. Finally, he has confirmed his commitment, no doubt trying to carve out some legacy in his last two years of office and to show that France is still relevant on the world stage.
Will this matter? France joins 147 other states in making this move. It will be the first G7 member to do so. Sweden, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia are so far the only EU member states to have made the move while being part of the bloc, so Macron's announcement is significant. Several other European states did so in the 1980s, including Poland and Hungary during the communist era.
Who else might follow suit? France's move will look wiser if others follow. Belgium is a candidate. It has been one of Europe's most ardent critics of Israel. Reports indicate it might make a decision in early September. Canada is also a possibility. However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni veered away from this. And Germany is unlikely to shift.
Then there is the UK. Many hoped that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would consent to a joint position with France. A British-French recognition would have carried more weight. The two colonial powers, the co-authors of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, the two European members of the UN Security Council working together symbolically would have had strength. This option has been much debated in Britain over recent months. The government never ruled it out, arguing it was waiting for clarity from the French side.
In the end, Starmer has not bitten despite 221 British members of Parliament writing to him to push for this. Starmer had a choice: either side with US President Donald Trump or join Macron. He chose the former.
It is a reward for the Palestinian national movement, represented by the PLO and dominated by Fatah.
Chris Doyle
Palestinians have tended not to be nearly as excited as some politicians in Europe, or even the Western media. Why, many ask, was this not done more than a decade ago or even earlier? Then, there would have been a genuine dynamic toward some form of solution. Why only now as Gaza burns and the Israeli colonization of the West Bank is on steroids? It is now only recognizing a failed dream, not a likely reality.
In a choice between recognition and a ceasefire with proper aid access, those in Gaza would definitely take the latter. Talking to Palestinians in Gaza, many dismiss such symbolic gestures. To survive, they need food and water, even above a ceasefire. Death by bombing or shelling is far more preferable for them and their families than the horror of death by starvation or thirst.
Recognition will not save a single starving baby. It will not provide lifesaving medicine for those struck down with disease. It will not stop the Israeli attacks on tents in the so-called safe zone.
Critics, largely American and Israeli, say Macron is just trying to appease his Muslim voters or attract investment from rich Gulf states. This ignores the massive public support in France for Palestinian rights.
Another absurd argument is that this is a reward for Hamas and the atrocities it perpetrated on Oct. 7, 2023. This was trotted out by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among many others. Why is it absurd? Hamas has not been calling for a two-state solution or pushing for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Every single propagandist for Israel has routinely reminded the world that Hamas wants, in their view, to destroy Israel. If this is a reward for Hamas, it is not one it wished for.
It is a reward for the Palestinian national movement, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization and dominated by Fatah, the rival of Hamas. This is the movement that Western states, certainly European ones, have been supporting. They back the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah in spite of all its flaws. One of Hamas' criticisms of the national movement — one that often hits home among frustrated Palestinians — is that the PLO recognized Israel but the recognition was not mutual. Israel did not recognize a Palestinian state. The PLO abandoned violence but Israel did not. The PLO sought to achieve Palestinian liberation through negotiation but could not liberate one inch of Palestine.
This is why recognition matters to the PLO, the party that abandoned the armed struggle and is prepared to talk to Israel, unlike Hamas. So, failing to recognize a state of Palestine undermines the nationalists and boosts the Islamists, which in theory runs against the agenda of European states.
Macron deserves some praise. He could have done nothing. But his moral responsibility toward Palestinians is not anchored in recognition. Real leadership demands action to stop the genocide in Gaza. On that front, he is failing just like the rest of the world's leaders. If you cannot stop the genocide, recognition means nothing.
• Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech