France is "determined" to recognize a Palestinian state, its foreign minister said Tuesday, condemning Israel for the "indefensible" situation in Gaza created by its military campaign and humanitarian blockade.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also reaffirmed that Paris supported a Dutch-led initiative for a review of the cooperation agreement between the European Union and Israel, which could affect political and economic ties, foreign media wrote, according to Telegraph.
President Emmanuel Macron has left open the possibility of France becoming the last European nation to recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference in June.
"We cannot leave the children of Gaza a legacy of violence and hatred. So all this must stop, and that is why we are determined to recognize a Palestinian state," Barrot told France Inter radio.
"And I am actively working towards this, because we want to contribute to a political solution in the interests of the Palestinians, but also for the security of Israel," he added.
Barrot spoke after Macron joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a rare joint statement that angered Israel.
The statement said "we will not stand idly by", threatened "further concrete actions" if Israel continued to block aid and said "We are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state".
Pushed by what these actions might entail, Barrot again urged the EU to agree to the Dutch request to review the association agreement between Israel and the bloc and, in particular, to examine whether Israel was violating the agreement's human rights commitments.
He said this raises "the possibility of a final suspension" of an agreement, which has political as well as commercial dimensions.
Gaza's health ministry said on Monday that at least 3,340 people in the Palestinian territory have been killed since Israel resumed attacks on March 18, bringing the total death toll from the recent war to 53,486.Telegrafi/
