French, Saudi Leaders Bow Out of Own UN Summit Aimed at Establishing Palestinian State

“The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognize a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies,” the cable read. 

“The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures.” 

It continued: “Unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state would effectively render October 7 Palestinian Independence Day,” referring to the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when the terror group indiscriminately murdered more than 1,200 people, wounded thousands and kidnapped 251 more. 

Macron also faced resistance from the United Kingdom and Canada against doing more than expressing support for a Palestinian state. (Macron had reportedly wanted them to recognize a Palestinian state together with France). 

According to Mordechai Kedar, a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, it’s not a surprise that Saudi Arabia appears to be backing away from the conference, as it doesn’t want to upset the United States. 

“The Saudis’ goal in my view is to reach a mutual defense agreement with the United States, because as much as Israel hit the Iranians, it didn’t break the regime. The Iranians now behave like a wounded bear, which is very dangerous. And they blame the Saudis, among others. The Saudis today are very much afraid,” Kedar told JNS. 

As far as Macron, Kedar posits that he is trying to appease France’s Muslim population, pointing to the report presented to the French president in May, warning of the infiltration, or “entryism,” of the Muslim Brotherhood into French institutions. 

Although the report was praised for pointing out the danger, one of its recommendations was to support the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would supposedly appease the Muslim Brotherhood. “Macron now may be acting on this recommendation,” said Kedar. 

French author, public intellectual and long-time editor-in-chief of the French news magazine Valeurs Actuelles Michel Gurfinkiel believes that there are two dimensions to France’s quest for a UN summit. 

The first has to do with France’s place in the world. “Once a great nation, it’s now a eunuch nation, and is struggling—actually it’s been struggling for a very long time—to retain its rank,” he told JNS. 

“As the French are desperate to play a role but don’t have any real power, their role can only be that of go-between, as a host of international conferences,” said Gurfinkiel, noting that the idea goes back decades. 

In 2011, writing of then-French foreign minister Alain Juppé’s plans to host a Mideast conference, Gurfinkiel likened the idea to the Loch Ness Monster, which also pops up from time to time. 

The second dimension in France’s bid to host a UN conference combines two elements: France’s gradual transformation into an Arab-Muslim country and Macron’s personal political calculations, according to Gurfinkiel.

Muslims make up about 10% of France’s population, based on data from France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). A 2017 Pew Research Center survey projected France’s Muslim population will rise to 17% by 2050. 

According to a 2008 constitutional amendment, a French president can’t serve more than two consecutive terms, but is permitted to run after an interval of one term. 

Macron, 47, isn’t ready for retirement. 

“It’s obvious that he wants to stay in the game and is laying the groundwork for his comeback now. Since the Arab-Muslim population is going to grow very quickly, his calculation is to position himself as a friend of Islam, a friend of Palestine,” said Gurfinkiel. 

Most of those in France, including even Arabs and Muslims, don’t know much about Palestine, according to Gurfinkiel, “but it has become a kind of code word for asserting Arab Muslim supremacy in this country.” 

“Just like the right in France is now very strongly supportive of Israel, something that was not the case for many years. And the reason is that ‘Israel’ has become the code word for resisting the advent of Muslim supremacy,” he said.