French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that expanding Israeli settlements would threaten a Palestinian state and US-led peace efforts, as France hosted Arab and European ministers shortly after a hostage and ceasefire deal was announced.
Macron hailed the deal as a “great hope” for the region, but said ramped-up settlement construction in the West Bank was an “existential threat” to a Palestinian state.
It was “not only unacceptable and contrary to international law” but “fuels tensions, violence and instability,” he said as he presided over the meeting in Paris. “It fundamentally contradicts the American plan and our collective ambition for a peaceful region.”
Israel and Hamas earlier agreed to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining hostages held by the terror group, seen as a major step toward ending the two-year war.
The deal brokered through indirect talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh came two years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw another 251 taken hostage.
The massacre triggered Israel’s counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 66,000 people, according to numbers from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
While Europe has strongly supported the ceasefire efforts led by US President Donald Trump, Washington and several European countries are at odds over whether it is the right moment to recognize a Palestinian state.
Macron, in a September 22 speech at the United Nations, recognized a Palestinian state on the heels of similar announcements by Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom in an effort to revive the two-state framework.
The Paris meeting on Thursday brought together the top diplomats of five key Arab states — Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — with European counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Turkey and the European Union were also represented.
Before the ceasefire deal was announced, the Paris meeting angered Israel, further straining French-Israeli relations in the wake of Macron’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denounced the “unnecessary and harmful” meeting “concocted behind Israel’s back” at the sensitive moment of the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.
But France hoped that following up on its formal recognition of a Palestinian state would boost the prospects of a two-state solution, which Paris still regards as the sole prospect for long-term regional peace.
The agenda at the meeting included the International Stabilization Force invoked by Trump as part of his peace plan and support for the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, a French diplomatic source said this week, asking not to be named.
“It is essential to act together and get down to work,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Berlin has repeatedly said it disagrees with the move by France and other European countries to recognize a Palestinian state now.