France to recognize Palestinian statehood on Monday, UK on Sunday evening
France will recognize the state of Palestine on Monday after the United Kingdom does the same Sunday evening, a senior French official told ABC News.
French President Emmanuel Macron will address the United Nations on Monday, where he will discuss on the Middle East and a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, during which he will formally recognize Palestine as a state, according to the official.
France will then send “a verbal note through the usual diplomatic channels to confirm this recognition,” the official said.
Along with France, nine other countries have decided to proceed with the recognition of Palestine: Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, the United Kingdom and San Marino. These countries join more than 140 countries which have already recognized the state of Palestine.
The UK is expected to announce its recognition on the eve of the conference on Sunday evening, a French source said. However, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer will not attend Monday’s conference.
-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge





