On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France was preparing to recognize the Palestinian state in a few months. If he takes place, Paris would become the 12th member of the European Union to officially accept the existence of the Palestinian State. Last year, Slovenia, Ireland and Spain did it, bearing the total number of EU states recognizing Palestine at 11 out of 27.
French recognition would be an important step in the right direction, especially if it affirms the borders of Palestine in 1967 and East Jerusalem as capital, concerning the provisions of international law and international consensus.
This could prevent other European countries from doing the same, including Luxembourg and Portugal and could exert significant pressure on others, notably the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium.
However, France risks transforming its recognition of Palestine into another empty gesture to save face in the middle of an increasing opposition among Europeans at the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the genocide in Gaza.
Under Macron, France was far from respecting its legal and political obligations towards Palestine, looking at the horrible crimes and violations of Israel. In this context, the French announcement can be considered as a diplomatic decision too little, too late.
Until recently, the Western powers largely conditioned the recognition of Palestine on the outcome of peace negotiations, which in reality meant to give Israel a right of veto on the Palestinian State. Indeed, Israel does not want negotiations to produce a solution – whether in two states along the borders of 1967 or a solution to a state in which the Palestinians and Israelis have equal rights.
Israeli law is opposed to the recognition of Palestine and the fulfillment of Palestinian law to self -determination, but the Western powers have continued to act as if it were not the case.
Israel received this lever effect on Palestine despite the fact that its own state was based on United Nations resolution 181, which called for the creation of two states, and its membership in the UN was conditioned on the implementation of resolutions 181 and 194 – the latter concerning the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Successive Israeli governments systematically violated the two resolutions as well as many others without facing any consequence of their Western allies.
Now that the Israeli government has finally clarified that its plan is ethnic cleaning and the annexation of all Palestine, some Western countries seem to reconsider their position and choose to recognize the Palestinian state.
Although recognition is important, it cannot be the only step that a country like France should take to implement Palestinian law for self -determination. France is a former colonial power in the Middle East, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, an eminent member of the EU, one of the most important business partners of Israel and an important donor of Palestine.
As such, he has the moral and legal obligation to do more than that. Recognition will not stop cleaning and ethnic annexation in progress. These processes continue tirelessly because countries like France fail to act and do not want responsible Israel.
For example, France was one of the first European countries to grant de facto immunity to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in November. Paris has opened its airspace several times so that Netanyahu flies to the United States in violation of its obligations under the law of Rome, the treaty which established the ICC.
Despite growing calls for an arms embargo in Israel, France continued to sell weapons to the Israeli army during the current genocide. French citizens are faced with any repercussions to engage in colonialism of the occupied West Bank or in service in the Israeli occupation forces, who have repeatedly accused of having committed horrible war crimes.
Likewise, France continues to tolerate fundraising for illegal Israeli establishments while several French companies have contributed to the process of annexation during the occupied Palestinian territory.
France has obtained a special role in Jerusalem with regard to the protection of the advantages of the status quo of Christian denominations. However, he has practically taken no concrete measure to stop the Israeli attempts in the process of imposing illegal taxes on churches and taking control of the goods of the Church.
If France is really interested in being a peace broker in the Middle East, he must make more than simply recognize the Palestinian state. He must act in accordance with his obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the status of Rome. He must exercise real pressure on Israel to put an end to his occupation and his colonization of the Palestinian lands and measures against French citizens and the companies involved there. He must reverse his decision to grant immunity to Israeli officials sought by the ICC.
At the EU level, France must join Spain and Ireland to demand an examination of the EU-Israel agreement in the light of the flagrant violation of Israel of article 2, which stipulates that relations should be based on respect for human rights.
It goes without saying that the Israeli government is opposed to any recognition of Palestine and will use its available tools to prevent it. He could apply the pressure by mobilizing the domestic opposition, by coordinating with relatives Israeli allies, such as the United States, and taking measures against diplomats based in Jerusalem – among other tactics.
This will force France to face its moment of truth: is it willing to defend its principles, or will it succumb to Israeli blackmail? Will this open the way in Europe to respect international obligations, or will it let her recognition of Palestine remain an empty gesture?
At a time when the administration of American president Donald Trump approved ethnic cleaning as an official policy and the EU is at its lowest political point with regard to Palestine, France has the opportunity to make a difference. He can join other EU members, such as Spain and Ireland, who, with the world South, puts pressure for an international order based on rules where Palestine is no longer the exception to the norm. He can live up to his own motto of “freedom, equality, fraternity” by supporting the pursuit of the Palestinian people of freedom, equality and fraternity.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.