'Prize for terror and a boost for Hamas': Israel foreign minister dismisses France’s stand on recognition of Palestinian state

France may formally recognize a Palestinian state by June, French President Emmanuel Macron has signaled, in a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Israel. The potential recognition is expected to be discussed during an international conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia in June.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar strongly rejected the idea, calling it a reward for terrorism. “Unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas,” Sa’ar wrote on X late Wednesday.

France, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, would be among the first major European powers to take such a step. While most Western countries—such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan—do not recognize a Palestinian state, many Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Iraq, do not recognize Israel.
President Macron made the comments during a televised interview on April 10 with France 5, saying he hoped that the move would encourage regional countries to also recognize Israel. “We need to move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state). And so, over the next few months, we will. I’m not doing it to please anyone. I’ll do it because at some point it will be right,” he said, as quoted by the New York Post.
The French president is currently on a three-day visit to Egypt, where he visited a hospital in the city of El-Arish, near the Gaza border, that is treating injured Palestinians. His remarks come at a tense moment, as ceasefire efforts have stalled and Israel has resumed its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.