ALBAWABA- French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday warned that any Israeli annexation of occupied West Bank territories, whether “partial, total, or de facto” through settlement expansion, would cross a “red line,” vowing a “forceful” European response if such plans advance.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Élysée Palace, Macron condemned what he described as “unprecedented levels” of settler violence and construction in the West Bank, saying they “threaten regional stability and violate international law.”
Macron hosted Abbas in Paris to discuss the implementation of a French-backed peace initiative following the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached on October 10, 2025, under U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation.
The Élysée said the talks aimed to outline “security, governance, and reconstruction steps” for Gaza’s post-war phase, in coordination with Arab and international partners.
France officially recognized the State of Palestine in September during the UN General Assembly in New York, a move Macron framed as part of a broader European push to revive the two-state solution.
During their meeting, the two leaders announced the creation of a joint French-Palestinian committee to draft a constitution for the nascent state.
Abbas, for his part, reaffirmed his commitment to “reform the Palestinian Authority” and to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections “as soon as possible.”
Macron added that these elections are expected to take place “within a year after the transition to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire,” which includes Hamas’s disarmament.
The French president’s remarks come as Washington prepares to submit a UN Security Council resolution endorsing Trump’s plan for Gaza, which envisions the deployment of an international stabilization force “very soon,” according to the U.S. president.
