French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will co-chair a June 2025 conference focused on establishing a Palestinian state, Macron announced. The initiative aims to advance the two-state solution involving Israel and a prospective Palestinian state.
Macron emphasized France’s commitment to fostering diplomatic efforts with global allies, stating, “In the coming months, together we will multiply and combine our diplomatic initiatives.” He noted that France’s recognition of a Palestinian state would occur at the “right moment,” aligning with reciprocal recognition for Israel to enhance regional security and relevance of the two-state approach.
Saudi Arabia’s normalization talks with Israel, previously linked to U.S. security guarantees, were derailed by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, intensifying the Gaza conflict. The kingdom has conditioned normalization on Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state, a stance incompatible with Israel’s current hardline government.
Recognition by Saudi Arabia, a custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, would mark a historic shift in Middle East diplomacy but remains contingent on progress toward a Palestinian state.
