On September 22 in New York, during a meeting on Palestine attended by heads of state and government, France and several other countries – including, in all likelihood, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, and Australia – are expected to recognize a Palestinian state. Before them, 148 other countries have already done so. Should this be seen as a purely symbolic gesture, given that simply "recognizing" a state does not make it a reality? If that were the case, it is hard to understand the outrage this move has sparked from the Israeli government and part of the US administration, including the US ambassador to France.

It is well known that if the conference goes as planned, it will mark the culmination of an initiative launched earlier this year by Saudi Arabia and France. But let us immediately correct what was just written: it is important not to reduce this Franco-Saudi initiative to merely the recognition of a Palestinian state – or to see the New York conference as its conclusion. This is, rather, a process in which recognizing a state serves as a lever to achieve further objectives – a step toward creating the conditions for a peaceful settlement.

The Franco-Saudi initiative – led by Emmanuel Macron and Mohammed bin Salman [the crown prince of Saudi Arabia] – has already produced some results. The Palestinian Authority pledged to hold general elections, for the first time in two decades, within a year. It also halted monthly payments to the families of terrorists and began initial reforms. A preparatory ministerial meeting, held on July 29 in New York, also resulted in a notable shift in the position of key Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. On September 12, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by a strong majority the so-called "New York Declaration," which explicitly calls for Hamas to leave the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.

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