Emmanuel Macron had sworn he would not give up. Addressing a small group of Palestinian civil society activists gathered in the Elysée gardens on Friday, June 13, the president insisted that France had by no means abandoned its pledge to recognize the State of Palestine. Admittedly, the conference the French head of state was due to co-chair in New York on June 18 with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman – known as "MBS" – intended to create momentum toward recognizing Palestine, had been canceled just hours earlier, after Israel struck Iran, upending the regional balance. But the conference would be rescheduled "as soon as possible," Macron assured his audience.

There was no time to wait, he insisted. "The obvious urgency (...) is to hold this conference and initiate mutual recognition," he said, as humanitarian workers reported on the ongoing massacre in the Gaza Strip. The president received warm applause. "It is easy to spark hope among desperate people," observed Leila Sansour, a Palestinian filmmaker present that evening.

A month later, France's recognition of the State of Palestine appeared to be on hold. A conference to promote peace and advance the two-state solution was expected to take place in New York between July 28 and 29, bringing together representatives from United Nations member states. But neither Macron nor the Saudi crown prince would be in attendance. Instead, it would be a summit of foreign ministers, Le Monde learned.

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