Oh my gosh besties, France just, like, dropped a total diplomatic bombshell and finally recognized Palestine as a state, and everyone’s like… um, what took you so long, babe? On September 22, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron got up at the UN General Assembly and basically went, “Yep, Palestine is a state,” making France the first G7 and permanent UN Security Council member to actually do it. He framed it as all noble and high-minded—peace, justice, two states living side by side—and also threw in calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, hostages freed, and urgent humanitarian relief. And honestly, the timing is super dramatic: the Gaza war is still raging, people are starving, hospitals bombed, and the whole situation is screaming crisis. Like, France didn’t wake up compassionate overnight—they’re feeling the heat. More than 153 of the 193 UN member states had already recognized Palestine, and Western Europe was looking a little late to the party. Peer pressure is real, even in geopolitics. Other Western countries like Ireland, Spain, Norway, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have recently joined the club, so France was, like, gonna look basic if it didn’t.
So why wasn’t this done earlier? Because world politics is a messy high school cafeteria. First, alliances: France and other Western powers are tight with Israel and the US, and they’re terrified of damaging those relationships or sparking backlash. Recognition isn’t just a cute symbolic gesture—it has big consequences. Then there’s that whole “negotiated peace” excuse, where countries insisted statehood should only come after a formal peace deal between Israel and Palestine. Spoiler alert: decades passed, no deal. Meanwhile, Hamas and violence complicated everything—critics said recognizing Palestine might look like rewarding bad behavior. Plus, the whole “facts on the ground” thing—borders, settlements, control over territory—made it easy for leaders to stall. And of course, domestic politics: nobody wants to tank their approval ratings or mess with powerful lobbies. But now? The war and humanitarian disaster in Gaza have made it politically risky not to act. France isn’t suddenly radical—it’s realizing that sitting on the fence makes you look heartless.
Let’s be clear though: recognition is not a magic wand. It’s a big deal—it boosts Palestinian legitimacy, pressures Israel to negotiate more seriously, and could snowball as more countries follow. It might even influence international courts and legal claims. But it won’t end the fighting overnight, redraw borders, or magically create peace. It won’t fix the divide between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, or force Israel to change course immediately. What it does is shift the narrative—France just told the world, “We’re done waiting.” And that’s huge for Palestinians who’ve been told to “wait” for decades. It also ramps up the moral and diplomatic pressure on Israel, the US, and anyone still pretending the status quo is sustainable. Like, the world is finally catching up to a reality everyone already knew.
So yeah, France was late to the party, but now that it’s here, maybe others will finally stop ghosting Palestine. If leaders back up their words with action—actual support for two states, pressure on both sides, and protection for civilians—this could be a turning point. But if it’s just photo ops and press releases, it’s gonna feel like too little, too late. Either way, Macron just made history, and the vibes in New York were… let’s say, complicated. The applause was polite, the side-eyes were intense, and the world is watching to see if this is a real game changer or just another headline that fades by next week.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Where overdue apologies meet the loudest side-eye, Valley Girl News was there, sipping the tea and rolling our eyes like, finally.
