NEW YORK: The foreign ministers of France and 14 other Western nations have issued a joint “New York Call” urging countries around the world to recognise a Palestinian State, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday.
The foreign ministers of 15 countries late on Tuesday issued a joint statement following a conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at reviving a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.
“In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X.
A New York avec 14 autres pays, la France lance un appel collectif : nous exprimons notre volonté de reconnaître l'Etat de Palestine et invitons ceux qui ne l’ont pas encore fait à nous rejoindre. pic.twitter.com/faCYTYwmES
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) July 30, 2025
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia and Spain.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week he would formally recognise Palestinian statehood in September, provoking strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
France is hoping to build momentum around the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps”, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Starmer’s move, paired with Paris, would make the two European allies the first G7 nations to do so.
In the statement, the 15 nations affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution”.
Nine of the signatories which have not yet recognised the Palestinian state expressed “the willingness or the positive consideration of their countries” to do so, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
