Macron: France could recognize Palestinian state in June

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France could recognize a Palestinian state in June, adding that in return, some Middle Eastern countries could recognize the state of Israel.

"We must move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state). And we will do so in the coming months. I am not doing it to please anyone. I will do it because it will be the right thing to do at some point," he said during an interview on France 5 television, Reuters reported last night.

"And because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic that should also allow those who defend Palestine to recognize Israel in return, something that many of them do not do."

Although Palestine has been recognized as a sovereign state by almost 150 countries, most Western powers have not, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.

Among the countries that do not recognize Israel are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

"Our goal is somewhere in June, with Saudi Arabia, to chair this conference where we could finalize the move towards reciprocal recognition by several countries," Macron said.