French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France could formally recognize a Palestinian state as early as June during a UN conference in New York, co-chaired with Saudi Arabia.

Axar.az, citing AFP, reports that Macron emphasized that the move aims to support a collective effort toward mutual recognition between Palestine and Israel, strengthen regional security, and affirm Israel’s right to exist.

France has long supported a two-state solution but this would mark a significant policy shift.

While nearly 150 countries have already recognized Palestine, France would be the most influential Western power to do so. Macron criticized U.S. proposals to repurpose Gaza and stressed the urgency of establishing a political solution to attract investment and rebuild peace.