The news was first delivered by the French consul general in Jerusalem, Nicolas Kassianides, who handed a letter to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, July 24. In the footage of their meeting, the 89-year-old Palestinian leader's face betrayed not one hint of emotion, showing neither sadness for the suffering his people endured in Gaza, nor relief at seeing that their plight had spurred France to take action. In the letter addressed to Abbas, President Emmanuel Macron made a commitment: in September, "France will fully recognize Palestine as a State."

The French leader is due to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York at that time. "In doing so," he wrote, "France will make a decisive contribution to peace in the Middle East." This symbolic and political gesture came in response to a letter Abbas had sent to both Macron and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, on June 9. In that letter, the Palestinian leader condemned the October 7, 2023, massacre perpetrated by Hamas, advocated for the group's demilitarization and promised a thorough reform of the PA's governance.

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