Proposal Of Recognition Of Palestinian State: France

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will officially recognise the State of Palestine in September 2025 at the UN General Assembly, becoming the first G7 country to do so.

Macron called the recognition a step toward reviving the two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace and security.

A state is a political entity characterized by four essential elements

Population
Territory
Government,
Sovereignty.

A nation is a group of people united by shared culture, language, history, or ethnicity.

A state may include one or multiple nations. It is more of a socio-cultural and emotional identity.
Nations may or may not have political sovereignty.
Example: The Kurds are a nation without a state.

He reiterated the need for:
- Immediate ceasefire in Gaza
- Demilitarisation of Hamas
- Humanitarian aid and rebuilding of Gaza
- Mutual recognition: Palestine must recognise Israel; Israel must accept Palestinian sovereignty.

Origin of Palestine

Palestine is a historic region in the Middle East, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It holds deep religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Over time, the region was ruled by various empires—Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Islamic Caliphates, and the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917).
After World War I, Britain took control under a League of Nations mandate (1923), which included provisions for a Jewish homeland.
In 1947, the United Nations proposed partitioning the land into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international city. This marked a turning point in the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Today, the Palestinian Territories refer mainly to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, under complex and disputed governance involving Israel and Palestinian authorities.

Current Recognition Status

146 out of 193 UN member states now recognise the State of Palestine.
Support comes largely from: Asia, Africa, Latin America, and much of the Arab world.
Still not recognised by: USA, Canada, most of Western Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
Full UN membership requires Security Council approval. In April 2024, the United States vetoed Palestine’s full membership bid.

Palestinian

What is the Two-State Solution?

Core idea: Partition historic Palestine into two states—one for Jews (Israel) and one for Arabs (Palestine)—as a pathway to lasting peace.
This would mean the creation of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state, existing alongside Israel, and enjoying full rights under the UN Charter.

UN Special Commission on Palestine (UNSCOP) Plan

UNSCOP proposed a new partition plan—UNGA Resolution 181:
- 56% of the land to Jews (who were 32% of the population)
- Remaining to Arabs
- Jerusalem to be internationally administered
Arabs rejected; Zionists accepted and unilaterally declared Israel on May 14, 1948, leading to the first Arab-Israeli war.

What It Means

Acknowledging Palestinian sovereignty within pre-1967 borders
Full diplomatic relations, including hosting a Palestinian embassy
Symbolic support for statehood, with little immediate legal or economic change

India’s Policy towards Palestine

In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
In 1988, India became one of the first countries to recognize the Palestinian State.
In 1996, India opened its Representative Office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003.
In 2011, India voted in favour of Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO.
Voting Pattern: India has voted in favour of 54 resolutions and abstained on 8 resolution over last 5 years on resolutions related to Israel – Palestine issue in UNGA.
De-hyphenation policy : It refers to India’s approach of engaging with Israel and Palestine separately, treating each bilateral relationship independently based on its own merits.
- Earlier, India’s foreign policy was largely pro-Palestine.
- However in recent years, India has sought to strengthen ties with Israel (especially in defence and technology) while maintaining its traditional support for the Palestinian cause thus, de-hyphenating the two relationships.

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