00:00In a move that stunned allies and infuriated Israel and Washington, French President Emmanuel
00:12Macron has announced that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state this September.
00:20It's a bold break from the West. And no, it didn't come out of nowhere.
00:25Look, he's a different kind of a guy. He's okay. He's a team player, pretty much.
00:33But here's the good news, what he says doesn't matter. It's not going to change it.
00:39It began in April during a visit to the Egyptian town of Al-Arish, near Gaza's border.
00:46Macron witnessed first-hand the mounting humanitarian catastrophe, food, medicine,
00:52and hope vanishing by the hour. That visit left a mark.
01:02Back in Paris, Macron made up his mind.
01:06France could no longer wait. Recognition was coming.
01:12Behind the closed doors, Macron launched a plan.
01:16A coordinated recognition effort with Britain and Canada, backed by Saudi Arabia, aiming to unlock both
01:23statehood for Palestinians and normalize Arab ties with Israel.
01:29But the plan crumbled. London and Ottawa backed away, fearing backlash from Washington.
01:37Macron stood alone, but moved forward anyway.
01:41Domestically, he faced pressure too. France has both Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish populations.
01:51And as brutal images from Gaza flooded French media, the calls for action became impossible to ignore.
01:58Analysts say Macron is using recognition as leverage to pressure Mahmoud Abbas to reform
02:08the Palestinian Authority, to push Arab states to support a stabilization force, and to marginalize
02:15Hamas without more war. At the same time, Israel's far-right government is moving toward
02:22de facto annexation of the West Bank. A red line for many in Europe.
02:28Despite fires Israeli lobbying, including threats to intelligence-sharing and diplomatic retaliation,
02:35Macron stood firm. Critics call the move symbolic. Macron calls it historic.
02:43As one French diplomat put it, and I quote,
02:46If there's ever been a moment to recognize a Palestinian state, that moment is now.
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