The political crisis in France intruded on President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Saudi Arabia from December 2 to 4, but did not overshadow his joint efforts with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to draw up a roadmap for ending the crises in Gaza and Lebanon, and to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership.

Macron and MBS have agreed to co-chair a conference in June 2025 on the implementation of the two-state solution, involving the recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and to "federate" their diplomatic initiatives between now and then to "take everyone along this path." A resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday night endorsed the holding of the conference in New York.

Saudi Arabia has made recognition of the Palestinian state one of its main diplomatic priorities, setting up a joint coalition with the European Union and Norway. Several European countries took the plunge: Ireland, Norway and Spain in May, followed by Slovenia in June. If it were to go down this road, France could "lead several partners and allies, both European and non-European, who are ready to move in this direction," said Macron from Riyadh. "It's my willingness to do so; it just has to be done at a useful time, so that it triggers reciprocal movements of recognition that enable us to have a useful effect," reiterated the French president. He did not rule out the possibility of formalizing this approach by June 2025. "I'm not ruling out anything before then, but it depends on how the situation develops on the ground," he added.

This approach must be accompanied, he said, by "a movement of recognition in favor of Israel, which could bring answers in terms of security for Israel and convince people that the two-state solution is a relevant solution for Israel." Following the normalization agreements signed between Israel on the one hand, and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan on the other, in 2020 and 2021, known as the Abraham Accords, Saudi Arabia has entered into discussions with Washington on normalizing its relations with Israel in return for American security guarantees.

In mid-September, the Saudi crown prince ruled out recognition of Israel before the "creation of a Palestinian state." However, Macron conceded that "everyone is clear on the fact that there is a political reality in Israel today, with a coalition that does not allow it, but that there is also a reality on the ground that will impose itself on everyone." He denounced, particularly in the West Bank, "grave violations of international law (...) pushed by extremists who want endless colonization and to break the possibility of having two states." "We will not give up on this," he insisted.

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