❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has slammed French President Emmanuel Macron as “reckless” for announcing he will recognize Palestinian statehood.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Rubio reacted to Macron’s declaration on the evening of July 24.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7.” — Secretary Rubio
🎯IMPACT: The condemnation reinforces the U.S. support for Israel, despite some recent friction between the Trump administration and the Israeli government.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has slammed France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, after Macron announced on July 24 that he would formally recognize Palestinian statehood at an upcoming meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
“The United States strongly rejects [Macron’s] plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7,” Rubio wrote on X.
The U.S. Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner—father of President Donald J. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—added, “France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state is a gift to Hamas and a blow to peace. I’ve just arrived, and I’m deeply disappointed. I hope to change [Macron’s] mind before September. Free the hostages. Focus on a ceasefire. This is the path to lasting peace.”
France is not the first European country to recognize Palestinian statehood, as at least a dozen other European nations also make the same move. During his announcement on July 24, President Macron said that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was needed immediately while calling for the release of all hostages and the demilitarisation of Hamas.
President Donald J. Trump and his administration have been working on a ceasefire, but exited talks in Qatar earlier this week after accusing Hamas of not acting in good faith.
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