by demanding “essential reforms” from the Palestinian Authority, is Emmanuel Macron procrastinating?

Three European countries officially recognized a State of Palestine this week, with the stated aim of advancing peace with Israel. What is France’s position?

A first step? After saying to himself “ready to recognize“a Palestinian state, but”at a useful time“, not under the influence of the”emotion“, Emmanuel Macron called on Wednesday May 29 the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to “implement essential reforms” In “the prospect of recognition of the State of Palestine“, reported the French presidency in a press release.

During this telephone call, the French president “marked France’s commitment to working to build with its European and Arab partners a common vision of peace that offers security guarantees for Palestinians and Israelis“and to”place the prospect of recognition of the State of Palestine in a useful dynamic“, we learn.”In this perspective“, the French president”recalled France’s support for a reformed and strengthened Palestinian Authority, capable of exercising its responsibilities throughout the Palestinian Territories, including in the Gaza Strip, for the benefit of the Palestinians“.”Faced with hate mongers and terrorist movements, it was all the more urgent to relaunch peace efforts and put an end to the systematic postponement of the implementation of the two-State solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state“, affirms the French presidency.

During this interview Mahmoud Abbas reported:commitment“of the Palestinian government”in favor of reform” and called on “European countries which have not recognized the State of Palestine to do so”, his services indicated in a press release. Three European countries, Spain, Ireland and Norway, officially recognized Tuesday a State of Palestine with the stated aim of advancing peace, a move which angered Israel.

But then what should we understand from this call? Elysian sources indicate that this request for “reforms” of the Palestinian Authority is in no way a sort of “precondition” for France to recognize a Palestinian State. The whole problem is to know whether we wait until there is actually an effective two-State solution to recognize that of Palestine or if France considers that formal recognition of an embryonic State could give impetus and a minimum of content to this famous two-State solution.

If the credibility of Mahmoud Abbas’s administration is today seriously at half mast, including among the Palestinians themselves – the governments of Benjamin Netanyahu having also tried hard to give him a hard time – it is difficult to believe that the Palestinian Authority has the means today to reform itself without external help, in technical, financial, security and even administrative terms. In this regard, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state could be a first step.

France had also voted for a resolution along these lines at the UN Security Council last April, before the United States vetoed it. Washington’s argument: no recognition of a Palestinian state until the parties to the conflict have reached an agreement among themselves.