French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday decried the “unacceptable” US decision not to grant visas to Palestinian officials ahead of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, when France is set to recognize a Palestinian state.
“We call for this measure to be reversed and for Palestinian representation to be ensured in accordance with the Host Country Agreement,” Macron said in a statement after speaking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The two countries are holding a conference in New York promoting a two-state solution on September 22, the day before General Assembly kicks off.
Writing on X, Macron called for a “permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and the deployment of a stabilization mission in Gaza.”
He said that France was working to “ensure that, the day after, Hamas is disarmed and excluded from any governance of Gaza, that the Palestinian Authority is reformed and strengthened, and that the Gaza Strip is fully reconstructed.”
“No offensive, annexation attempt, or forced displacement of populations will derail the momentum we have created with the crown prince — momentum that many partners have already joined,” said Macron.
The US visa ban applies to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and some 80 more Palestinian officials. Announcing the move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was to hold the PA “accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
In addition to the UN General Assembly, Abbas was also set to attend the French-Saudi conference while in New York.
“That is what keeps [Macron] awake at night,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in response to the French president’s condemnation of the US visa decision. “He does not protest against the rampant incitement in the Palestinian education system against Israel and Jews. He also does not object to the payments transferred by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists and their families under the ‘pay for slay’ method.”
Sa’ar accused Macron of “trying to intervene from the outside in a conflict to which he is not a party, in a manner completely disconnected from the reality on the ground after October 7th.”
“Macron undermines the stability of the region with his actions and drags the regional and international system toward unilateral steps. His actions are dangerous,” Sa’ar charged. “They will not bring peace nor security.”
While barring Abbas and other PA officials from the conference, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other ministers that the Trump administration is extremely concerned about the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, Channel 12 news reported Tuesday.
The PA does not have enough money to pay salaries, as Smotrich has ordered the withholding of funds that are usually transferred to Ramallah.
“If the Palestinian economy collapses, that is nobody’s victory,” Huckabee told Channel 12, adding that “desperate people do desperate things.”
Attempts to work out a solution to keep the PA solvent fell apart after France and other Western countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, the report added.
Israel and the United States oppose recognition of a state of Palestine, particularly in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that started the ongoing Gaza war. Jerusalem has called the move a prize for terror, and earlier this year, the Knesset voted 71-13 in favor of a non-binding motion in support of applying sovereignty to the West Bank, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now considering in response to the planned recognitions of Palestinian statehood.
Also Tuesday, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Rubio will visit Israel in two weeks.
The official said that Rubio was coming for a private event in Jerusalem. According to Channel 12, the event will take place in the City of David outside the Old City.
It was not immediately clear whether Rubio will meet Netanyahu, though it is hard to imagine a top US official coming to Jerusalem and not meeting with Israel’s premier.
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu could meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Efforts have begun to explore that possibility, the report said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.