Macron and Netanyahu spar over France's push for Palestinian statehood

Alan Katz, Bloomberg News on Aug 27, 2025

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Emmanuel Macron pushed back on Tuesday against claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the French president was abetting antisemitism by planning to recognize a Palestinian state.

“Protecting France’s Jewish citizens from the rise in anti-Semitism has been an absolute priority of mine from day one,” Macron wrote in a letter to Netanyahu published in the French daily Le Monde. “It must not be the subject of manipulation amid the politicization of a conflict that is not France’s but that is affecting its national cohesion and the security of its citizens.”

Relations between the two leaders have spiraled lower over the past several months, as Macron in July announced France would recognize a Palestinian state at a United Nations gathering in New York next month. He has encouraged several other countries to do the same.

Macron, in his letter, said “lasting peace will be brought about by a sovereign Palestinian State, recognizing Israel and its right to security, demilitarized and living peacefully alongside you.”

Israel’s government and most citizens have hardened their stance against a two-state solution since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Many Israelis see a independent Palestinian state as a threat to their security and don’t believe one could be created that is demilitarized.

Netanyahu, in a letter last week sent to Agence France-Presse, said that Macron’s “call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire.”

The U.K., Canada, and Australia have conditionally pledged to also recognize Palestinian statehood, sparking fierce criticism from Netanyahu toward their leaders.

The moves also represent a key break with the U.S., an ally of all four countries and Israel’s primary defense partner. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denounced the Palestinian recognition push as “reckless.”

Charles Kushner, the U.S. ambassador to France, sent his deputy to receive a dressing-down after he sparked the French government’s ire this week with an editorial that accused Macron of not doing enough to fight antisemitism.