French foreign minister ‘determined’ to recognise Palestinian state
Speaking during an interview with French radio station RTL, Jean-Noel Barrot did not say explicitly when France would recognise the State of Palestine.
But the French foreign minister said that an upcoming UN conference on the two-state solution – co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia – would allow countries “to make commitments to remove all the barriers on the path towards the creation – the existence even – of a Palestinian state”.
Barrot was pressed on whether France would recognise a Palestinian state on its own – even if no other countries followed suit – during the UN conference.
“This is not the option I’m considering,” he responded. “France could have made a symbolic decision. That’s not the choice we made because we have a particular responsibility.
“If we do this, it’s to change things and make it so that the existence of this Palestinian state is as credible as possible.”
ILO upgrades Palestine to non-member observer state
The International Labour Organization (ILO) decision gives the State of Palestine additional rights at ILO meetings, including the ability to submit proposals and amendments.
Several global trade unions welcomed the move, with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) hailing it as “a sign of hope and a strong gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
“This recognition by the ILO marks an important step towards broader international acknowledgement of Palestinian statehood,” ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle said in a statement.
Statement by the Representative of the State of Palestine to UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi:
Despite Israeli efforts to block the resolution, Palestine’s status has been elevated to Observer in the International Labour Organization by an overwhelming majority.@ilo pic.twitter.com/B2e0efXtIV
— State of Palestine UNOG (@PalestineUNOG) June 6, 2025
‘Incredibly damning’: Group slams Canada weapons exports to Israel
A human rights group in Canada has slammed the Canadian government after official data showed the country exported nearly $14m (more than 18 million Canadian dollars) in weapons to Israel in 2024.
“In the face of all the horrors we have witnessed in Gaza, Canada’s arms trade with Israel has not stopped. In fact, it has continued at historically high rates,” said Michael Bueckert, acting president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).
Canada announced last year that it would not issue any new exports permits for weapons to Israel amid the war on Gaza.
But rights advocates had said the decision didn’t go far enough, as existing permits were still in place. They also noted that Canadian-made weapons components could still reach Israel via the United States without needing a permit.
The government said today that the nearly $14m in weapons sent to Israel in 2024 “all utilised permits destined to Israel were issued on or prior to January 8, 2024”, the date it announced a suspension of new permits.
CJPME’s Bueckert called on Canada to stop its “cynical ‘pauses’ and half-measures that fail to address Canada’s complicity in genocide”, urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to “impose a full arms embargo and bring an end to military trade with Israel once and for all”.
