For Henry Laurens, professor at the Collège de France [prestigious research university] and chair of contemporary history of the Arab world, the decision to recognize the State of Palestine fits into France's traditional vision.

This position had been announced for several weeks. Rather, it could be seen as delayed, as it was supposed to take place at the New York conference, but the war between Iran and Israel pushed it back. Macron is now postponing the decision to the United Nations General Assembly in September, which is a more appropriate setting for such an announcement. But the president took action, as some were accusing him of not keeping his promise. And in recent days, there has been an international groundswell. The images of starvation are alarming. French public opinion has not been immune to this, either.

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