ISTANBUL 

Hamas welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge Thursday to recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September.

The Palestinian group described the declaration as “a positive step in the right direction” toward justice for the Palestinian people and support for their right to self-determination and an independent state on all occupied Palestinian land, with Jerusalem as its capital.

It called the French stance “a political development that reflects growing international conviction in the justice of the Palestinian cause and the failure of the Israeli occupation to distort facts or suppress the will of free nations.”

Hamas added that such international steps “represent political and moral pressure” on Israel.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also welcomed Macron’s decision, describing the move as “historic.”

In a statement, the ministry noted that the decision “reflects a commitment to international law and resolving the conflict through political means to implement the two-state solution under UN resolutions and to achieve peace in the region and the world.”

The ministry urged other countries to recognize Palestine and participate actively in the upcoming UN conference in New York, while also taking practical steps to ensure the preservation of the two-state solution.

It described Macron’s announcement as “a victory for Palestinian diplomacy and Arab efforts, particularly those led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to secure broader international recognition of the State of Palestine.”

Macron said in a post on X that he will officially announce France’s recognition of the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September.

“In line with our historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” he said.

Currently, 149 out of 193 UN member states officially recognize the State of Palestine.