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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticises France’s ‘reckless decision’ that helium claims ‘only serves Hamas propaganda’.
Published On 25 Jul 2025
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington “strongly rejects” French President Emmanuel Macron’s program to recognise a Palestinian state, arsenic the medication of President Donald Trump announced it would not be an upcoming United Nations league seeking a two-state solution for Palestinians.
Posting connected X precocious connected Thursday, Rubio criticised Macron’s “reckless decision”, which helium claimed “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets backmost peace”.
Earlier, Macron had said helium would formalise France’s determination to officially recognise a Palestinian authorities astatine the UN’s General Assembly successful September.
“In keeping with its historical committedness to a conscionable and lasting bid successful the Middle East, I person decided that France volition recognise the State of Palestine,” Macron wrote connected X.
At slightest 142 countries retired of the 193 members of the UN presently recognise oregon program to recognise a Palestinian state. But respective almighty Western countries – including the US, the United Kingdom and Germany – person refused to bash so.
Fellow European Union members Norway, Ireland and Spain indicated successful May that they had begun the process to recognise a Palestinian state.
But Macron’s determination would marque France – 1 of Israel’s closest allies and a G7 subordinate – the largest and arguably astir influential state successful Europe to marque the move.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, saying specified a determination “rewards panic and risks creating different Iranian proxy”.
“A Palestinian authorities successful these conditions would beryllium a motorboat pad to annihilate Israel – not to unrecorded successful bid beside it,” helium said successful a station connected X.
“Let’s beryllium clear: the Palestinians bash not question a authorities alongside Israel; they question a authorities alternatively of Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz besides described the determination arsenic “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism”. He added that Israel would not let the constitution of a “Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence”.
While supporting a two-state solution remains the long-held authoritative stance of the US, President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts astir its viability. Since returning to the White House successful January, Trump suggested the US could “take over” Gaza, displace the territory’s much than 2 cardinal Palestinian population, and alteration it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Trump’s program has been condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN arsenic tantamount to “ethnic cleansing”.
In June, Washington’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, besides said helium did not deliberation an autarkic Palestinian authorities remained a US overseas argumentation goal.
His comments prompted Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce to accidental Huckabee “speaks for himself” and policy-making is simply a substance for Trump and the White House.
On Thursday, State Department lawman spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the US volition not be an upcoming league acceptable to beryllium held astatine the UN connected the two-state solution. The league – co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and scheduled to instrumentality spot betwixt July 28-30 – seeks to illustration a roadmap to extremity the decades-long struggle and recognise a Palestinian state.
Speaking to reporters, Pigott said determination was “nothing further” to accidental astir the contented different than that Washington “will not beryllium successful attendance”.
There is mounting unit connected Israel to extremity its deadly warfare connected Gaza, waged successful the aftermath of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks connected confederate Israel, which saw immoderate 1,139 radical killed and much than 200 captives taken to the Palestinian enclave.
Israel’s consequent 21-month battle connected Gaza has resulted successful astir 60,000 Palestinians being killed, with a further 144,000 wounded.
Months-long ceasefire negotiations – brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar – person truthful acold failed to output a breakthrough.
On Monday, 28 countries – including the UK, Japan and galore European nations – issued a associated statement telling Israel the warfare connected Gaza “must extremity now”.
The associated connection besides condemned “the drip feeding of assistance and the inhumane sidesplitting of civilians, including children, seeking to conscionable their astir basal needs of h2o and food”.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·