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Opposition to the war in Gaza has fueled a new diplomatic approach. France is leading an effort to support the formal recognition of a Palestinian state. It is a significant step that major Western countries were reluctant to take until the devastation caused by the war. But Israel is threatening to retaliate. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: To chart a path to peace, France and Saudi Arabia are gathering countries at U.N. headquarters in New York next week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot explains the goal in a video statement.
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JEAN-NOEL BARROT: (Speaking French).
ESTRIN: To restore diplomatic momentum for establishing a viable Palestinian state and guaranteeing the security of Israel and the region. That may sound like the same old failed script of Middle East peacemaking, but France is trying to flip the script.
Ofer Bronchtein, the French president's adviser on Israeli-Palestinian relations, says talking peace has not gone anywhere for decades.
OFER BRONCHTEIN: Not only we didn't move forward, but we are moving backward. We are proposing, first of all, recognition and then negotiations, and not the opposite.
ESTRIN: That's why France wants Palestine recognized before pursuing talks for a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That recognition, he says, would give Palestinians equal status to Israel, with two states negotiating peace. Next week at the conference, he expects Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Croatia and Greece to recognize Palestine right away. The big diplomatic question is, when will France and other major countries join?
The French president's adviser, Bronchtein.
BRONCHTEIN: France will recognize the state of Palestine with other countries very soon.
ESTRIN: Very soon. He expects France, the U.K., Canada and other economic powerhouses like Japan to hold off on recognizing a state of Palestine until the Gaza war ends. Those countries seek other commitments, too, like reforming Palestinian leadership, disarming Hamas and convincing some Muslim and Arab countries, like Indonesia and Syria, to recognize Israel. This whole diplomatic initiative angers the Israeli government. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says after the deadliest attack in Israeli history, all this does is reward Hamas.
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SHARREN HASKEL: Because they think that the 7 of October attack was actually successful enough that the international community will actually recognize a Palestinian state. So it's actually contradicting our efforts and the American efforts towards a ceasefire, as well.
ESTRIN: She says Israel could take action if countries follow through on this.
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HASKEL: Unilateral actions may lead to unilateral action on our part, as well.
ESTRIN: That could include Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank that Palestinians want included in their state, according to an Israeli official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity and didn't have permission to speak about this publicly. Despite that official stance, there are Israeli peace activists supporting the French push to recognize Palestinian statehood, including Alon Liel. He was the Israeli ambassador to South Africa in the waning years of apartheid and saw the world come together to stop it. He hopes this diplomatic initiative can stop Israel's offensive in Gaza - the deadliest Palestinians have ever faced.
ALON LIEL: If today, 2025, the world cannot stop these kind of atrocities from happening, we have a new world order. Every country can do whatever it wants.
ESTRIN: More than three-quarters of U.N. countries already recognize Palestine. During the Gaza war, nine countries joined that list, including Spain, Norway and Ireland. The U.S. is not one of them and won't participate in the peace conference. Still, the Palestinian authority is lobbying countries to send their top leaders to next week's U.N. conference, says Palestinian diplomat Omar Awadallah.
OMAR AWADALLAH: We believe that this is the beginning of a big momentum. It is the shift or historic turning point to the goal of implementing the two-state solution.
ESTRIN: But that two-state solution is no longer endorsed by Israel's current hard-right government. And many in the Palestinian public think a Palestinian state is no longer realistic given Israel's accelerated building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Next week's conference will test whether countries can bring the two-state solution back from the dead.
Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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