Macron says Israeli ‘annexation’ cannot halt Palestinian state recognition
French President Emmanuel Macron has said Israel’s attempts to annex more of the occupied West Bank will not derail international momentum towards the recognition of a Palestinian state.
“No offensive, annexation attempt, or forced displacement of populations will derail the momentum” towards a two-state solution, Macron wrote on X after a call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
France is among several countries preparing to formally recognise Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York. Belgium on Monday became the latest Western nation to announce it would do the same.
Macron also criticised Washington’s decision to deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials seeking to attend the meeting. He described the move as “unacceptable”, echoing criticism from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We call for this measure to be reversed and for Palestinian representation to be ensured in accordance with the Host Country Agreement,” Macron said.
Protesters urge Ireland to match words with action on Palestine
Campaigners are urging the Irish government to take stronger action after its central bank said it will no longer approve the sale of Israeli “war bonds”.
It comes after Israel shifted the EU approval process for its diaspora bonds from Dublin to Luxembourg on Monday, after sustained opposition from Irish lawmakers and campaigners.
But protesters told Al Jazeera that Ireland “must do more” and still remains “complicit” in Israel’s actions, pointing to US military planes transiting through Shannon Airport, and the long-stalled Occupied Territories Bill, intended to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, stuck in legislative “limbo”.
Outside a protest at the Irish embassy in London on Monday, Irish activist Nell Crow said the “Irish government shouldn’t think they are now off the hook”.
“We need to pressure the Irish government over their complicity in genocide by demanding they enact the Occupied Territories Bill, remove the US military from Shannon Airport, and impose full cultural and economic sanctions on goods and services from Israel”, she said.
“The Irish government is full of empty words of support for Palestine, but their actions, or lack of meaningful action, contradict those words. We need to continue the pressure,” Crow added.
