The Ambassador of France to Egypt, Éric Chauvellier, said that President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Al-Arish last April played a key role in his decision to recognize the State of Palestine on Monday, 22 September.
During that visit, Macron accompanied President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, met with injured Palestinians at Al-Arish hospital, and saw the large amounts of humanitarian aid collected there, along with the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent. According to the ambassador, this experience deeply influenced Macron’s thinking.
Macron said at the time that getting aid back into Gaza quickly is a “top priority,” and that “the situation right now is unbearable,” urging that humanitarian aid flow, which is blocked by Israel, must resume without delay.
“I saw here, in Al-Arish, the direct consequences of this blockade: tons of aid blocked, Palestinian wounded waiting for care. Forced displacement is not an answer; it is a violation of human rights and international law,” Macron added.
Reflecting on his trip, Macron linked his Al-Arish observations to a renewed push for a two-state solution, explicitly rejecting displacement.
“Back from a trip to Egypt, where I visited Al-Arish and saw the wounds inflicted on Gaza’s civilians, I reaffirm that forced displacement is unacceptable. It is a blatant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace,” he noted.
Three months after the visit, Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state and that it would be formalized at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,” Macron said.
The news sparked anger in Israel and the United States, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as a ‘reckless decision.’
France and Saudi Arabia also co-chaired a meeting at the UN on Monday to discuss ways to push forward the two-state solution, with Egypt also taking part. However, Macron’s counterpart, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, did not attend the event. The United States and Israel also boycotted the meeting.
The ambassador added that this move builds on a long history of French support for Palestinian statehood, recalling statements by Charles de Gaulle in 1967, where he publicly condemned Israel’s expansionist policies.
France is not alone in this decision, as other countries recognized Palestine after France’s decision, including Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra, and Belgium, joining the more than three-quarters of the 193 U.N. members who already recognize a Palestinian state.
However, the international community remains in limbo as Europe’s other major powers, Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Italy, have not shown likelihood that this decision could be taken.
Palestine’s bid for full UN membership would still need approval from the Security Council, where the United States holds veto power.
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