Summary
UK PM Starmer to hold emergency talks with France and Germany on the Gaza hunger crisis.
France to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly.
Macron urges ceasefire, aid, and Gaza’s rebuilding.
Recognition marks a major European policy shift.
Talks aim to coordinate Gaza crisis response.
The unexpected revelation reveals disagreements among the European allies, or E3, over how to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict and alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
While all three back the Palestinian state, Germany stated that it has no imminent plans to follow France's lead, which Macron intends to formally announce at the September UN General Assembly.
Although Prime Minister Keir Starmer came closer than ever on Thursday when he declared that "statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people," Britain has not followed suit either.
In their speech on Friday, Starmer, Macron, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz will discuss "what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace," according to Starmer.
“The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible,”
said Starmer, who is under mounting pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, both from opposition lawmakers and from members of his own Labour Party government. Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday called for an announcement “while there’s still a state of Palestine left to recognize.”
A Palestinian state is recognized by more than 140 nations, including 12 in Europe. However, France is the biggest European country and the first of the Group of Seven to do so. Both the United States and Israel condemned the ruling.
Although it has stated that recognition should be a part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict, Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel.
Such a solution seems a long way off. Before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and started the present war, there had been no meaningful Israel-Palestinian talks for years.
Israel's closest allies are alarmed by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where children have starved to death and hunger is spreading.
With ties originating from the Holocaust, Germany has long been one of Israel's most ardent allies in Europe. It states that it "does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term" and that it should be "one of the concluding steps" in negotiations for a two-state solution.
Although Berlin has also recently stepped up its rhetoric, calling for more humanitarian help and denouncing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza, it still seems to favor attempting to persuade Israeli authorities directly.
In a statement released Friday, the German government said it is in "continuous communication" with the Israeli government and other allies on matters such as the need to enhance humanitarian assistance and a truce in Gaza.
Britain has halted some arms sales to Israel, suspended free trade talks and sanctioned far-right government ministers and extremist settlers, but Starmer is under intense pressure to do more.
Labour lawmaker Emily Thornberry, who chairs Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said a majority of committee members supported immediate recognition of the state of Palestine.
“We’ve been in favor for 40 years of a two-state solution, and yet it’s been drifting,”
she told Times Radio, saying Macron’s announcement should be a “kickstart” for the peace process.
Starmer's wish to keep cordial ties with the U.S. government, which has harshly criticized France's move, is another factor. While President Donald Trump is in Scotland touring two golf courses he owns, the British leader is scheduled to meet with the president in the coming days.
According to Middle East specialist Yossi Mekelberg of the international affairs think tank Chatham House, Macron's choice to postpone completing recognition until September "creates some space" for other nations to join.
“We know that the U.K. is close, but not there,”
he said.
“This might encourage Starmer, who we know is not one to rush such a decision. … This might create some momentum, some dynamic, for the U.K.”
How might France's recognition of Palestine influence the Gaza hunger crisis?
Macron emphasized the urgent need to end the war in Gaza and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians. France’s recognition raises diplomatic attention on the crisis, potentially increasing international pressure on Israel and other actors to allow more aid into Gaza.
UN agencies warn of a worsening hunger crisis, with starvation and malnutrition rising in Gaza, especially among children. Macron’s move could help push stalled aid deliveries and facilitate humanitarian corridors.
Boosting Diplomatic Efforts for Ceasefire and Peace: By recognizing Palestine, France underlines the urgency of ending hostilities, which indirectly addresses the root causes exacerbating the humanitarian situation. Macron’s announcement is coupled with calls for ceasefire, hostage release, and disarmament of Hamas, aiming at stabilizing the region to allow aid and reconstruction efforts.