A group of 20 leading figures from the world of Jewish culture and religion in France have called on the French president Emmanuel Macron to ensure that France's recognition of a Palestinian state be made conditional on the release of hostages in Gaza and the dismantling of Hamas.
Macron is preparing to recognise a Palestinian state on Monday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York – a move that has won the backing of countries including Canada, Australia and Belgium..
In an open letter to the French newspaper Le Figaro, film stars such as Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal as well as cartoonist Joann Sfar and TV presenter Arthur urge Macron to be categorical about his terms.
"We solemnly ask you to affirm that this recognition will only take effect after the hostages have been released and Hamas dismantled (...) Recognising a Palestinian state now will not help Palestinian civilians or contribute to the release of the hostages.
"It is at this price, and this price alone, that this gesture can contribute to peace," says the letter signed by Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, Elie Korchia, the president of the Central Consistory, Haïm Korsia, the Chief Rabbi of France and Ariel Goldman, the president of the United Jewish Social Fund.
"Otherwise, it would be a moral capitulation to terrorism," the letter adds.
On Thursday in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 television, Macron praised Israel’s historic achievements in security but said the current strategy in Gaza was backfiring.
“You are provoking so many civilian victims and casualties that you are completely destroying Israel’s image and credibility,” he told viewers. “Not just in the region, but in public opinion everywhere.”
The French leader argued that while Hamas must be dismantled, purely military solutions would not succeed in breaking the cycle of violence.
Instead, he emphasised the importance of diplomacy – particularly on the stalled two-state solution.
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'The hope of peace will vanish'
Macron also used the interview to defend his decision to officially recognise the Palestinian state which he argues would sideline Hamas.
The French president said that recognising Palestine is “the best way to isolate Hamas” and a decision that “should have been taken a long time ago”.
He accused the current Israeli government of trying to kill off the two-state option, pointing to a recent vote to resume settlement expansion in the West Bank.
“We are at the last [moment] before proposing two states becomes totally impossible,” he warned. “Now is the time to act – not tomorrow, not in 10 years. If we don’t move, the conflict will only deepen, and the hope of peace will vanish.”
