France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

Emmanuel Macron has said France will recognise Palestine as a state later this year.

The French leader announced the major change of policy in a letter to the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, which Mr Macron also published online on Thursday evening. President Macron said he will make the formal announcement at the UN General Assembly, being held in September.

France will become the first member of the G7 - a group of seven of the world's largest advanced economies - to recognise a Palestinian state. The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.

In his post explaining the decision, Mr Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages by Hamas and for much more humanitarian aid to reach those in the territory. But Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit out at Mr Macron's stance, and said that it "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy".

In a post on X, Mr Netanyahu added that a "Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel - not to live in peace beside it". He warned: "Let's be clear: The Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." But despite the condemnation from Israel, the move heaps pressure on France's allies such as the UK, and Sir Keir Starmer insisted on Thursday night that he is "clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people".

However, the prime minister has resisted calls from within Labour to recognise Palestine immediately, as he believes this should come after a ceasefire is agreed, as part of the peace process in Gaza. "A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis," he said.

Currently, half of the G20 recognise Palestine as a state, while nations including the UK, US, and Germany do not. But pressure has been growing on Sir Keir to change course, with senior Labour figures including the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, publicly calling for a change in government policy.

Read more:Inside hospital where there's virtually no food for malnourished childrenPeople in Gaza are 'walking corpses' - with one in five kids malnourished - UN 'Humanitarian catastrophe' Just hours before Mr Macron's announcement, Sir Keir said he would be holding an "emergency call" on Friday with the leaders of France and Germany over what he called the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza. Sir Keir said that "the suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible".

He went on to say that it has been "grave for some time.