French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that he will officially recognize Palestine as a state in September at the UN General Assembly has sparked strong reactions worldwide, along with a cold shower from Washington.
US President Donald Trump stated that this decision “holds no weight” and “will change nothing.”
“I like him, he’s a very good guy and very much a team player. But, here’s the good news, what he says doesn’t matter. That statement won’t change anything,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump’s reaction comes after Macron, as part of an initiative to revive the Middle East peace process, announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN session in September. He stated that the goal is to “provide a political signal of peace and a solution in the spirit of the two-state formula.” France would thus become the first major Western country and G7 member to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, a move already made by over 140 countries worldwide. However, this move met with sharp disapproval in Israel and the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that such an act would be a “reward for terrorism” and warned that a recognized Palestinian state, under current conditions, would be a “platform for the destruction of Israel.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed a similar view, calling France’s decision “irresponsible” and contrary to “realistic peace efforts.”
This diplomatic divergence comes at a time of deep divisions within the international community regarding the war in Gaza and the collapse of peace negotiations. While some countries try to encourage a solution through political gestures, others consider them empty gestures without substantial impact.
In his statement, President Trump made it clear that, despite personal sympathies for his French counterpart, the American side sees no benefit in symbolic moves that do not affect the reality on the ground.
As the September UN session approaches, the world public will monitor whether Macron’s initiative gains broader support and whether it will open a new chapter in the approach to the Middle East — or whether, as Trump claims, it will remain “without significance.”
Source: Politika Photo: X