As France considers unilaterally recognising a Palestinian state, it must confront a sobering truth: doing so now would not promote peace — it would embolden terror. To recognize Palestine mere months after the Simchat Torah Massacre of October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered by Hamas, would send a dangerous signal to violent actors around the world: atrocities work.
The events of October 7 were not a spontaneous outburst. They were a meticulously planned assault on civilians — families slaughtered in their homes, children taken hostage, entire communities traumatized. Hamas, the de facto rulers of Gaza, proudly claimed responsibility. They did not act in the name of peace or self-determination, but in pursuit of a fanatical ideology that rejects Israel’s very right to exist.
And yet, now, some in the international community appear ready to reward this campaign of terror with diplomatic legitimacy. France’s potential recognition of Palestinian statehood is not an act of balance or even sympathy — it is, knowingly or not, an endorsement of the very tactics that led to October 7.
Of course, many Palestinians are not Hamas, and many do dream of a future state living peacefully alongside Israel. But at this moment, with no unified or democratic Palestinian leadership, with Hamas still entrenched in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority weakened and divided, what exactly is France recognising? A fractured political entity with no control over its own territory and no credible commitment to coexistence?
Statehood should be the culmination of a peace process, not a shortcut around one. When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the world hoped it would be a step toward Palestinian autonomy and cooperation. Instead, Gaza became a launchpad for rockets and terror tunnels. Recognising a state now (when peace is further away than ever) risks repeating that mistake on a global scale.
There are moments in history when the world must take a principled stand. France, as a standard-bearer of Western values and democracy, must not capitulate to the false narrative that violence is a legitimate form of diplomacy. To recognise Palestine now, in the shadow of October 7, is to normalize terror. It is to tell the victims and survivors that their suffering has yielded political gain for their attackers.
If France wants to play a constructive role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it should help foster conditions for a true two-state solution — one based on mutual recognition, security, and peace. That future is impossible so long as terror is rewarded with recognition.
Now is not the time for symbolic gestures. Now is the time for moral clarity.
