Israel summons French embassy official following Macron's announcement of intent to recognize Palestinian state

SadaNews - Tel Aviv summoned the French embassy official, who is the deputy ambassador, today, following the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron of his intent to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly in New York next September.

In a statement released this evening, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, "Based on the instructions of Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar, the French embassy official in Israel was summoned for a reprimand (in a meeting with) the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar-Tal," noting that "the conversation occurred a short while ago at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem."

During the conversation, the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Director General stated, according to the statement, that "France has chosen to harm Israel in its most difficult times, and thus, France has directly jeopardized negotiations for the release of hostages, the ceasefire, as well as any future political negotiations."

He added that "France's statements defining what is appropriate for Israel's security, instead of the elected government in Israel, is a blatant claim that undermines Israel's sovereignty."

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that his country would recognize a state of Palestine during the UN General Assembly in New York next September.

Macron stated, "In fulfillment of its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize a state of Palestine," adding, "I will officially announce this during the UN General Assembly next September."

France will then co-chair a conference with Saudi Arabia at the level of heads of state and government, aiming to relaunch the Palestinian-Israeli two-state solution.

The conference was originally scheduled for June but was postponed at the last minute due to the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran. A ministerial meeting on the same topic will be held in New York on July 28 and 29.