The UN summit co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France saw French President Emmanuel Macron formally announce France’s recognition of Palestine on Monday. The move, coordinated with Saudi Arabia and followed by a cohort of Western nations, aims to revive the two-state solution framework which has been all but stalled for years.

Other countries that followed-suit: The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal had recognized Palestine just prior to the summit, while Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra joined France in doing so on Monday. Belgium signaled its intent to offer formal recognition once Hamas is removed from power in Gaza and all captives are released.

Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomed the moves, and called on all remaining nations (about 20% of the general assembly) to recognize Palestine to help achieve a comprehensive peace and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

It’s all been building up to this: Over the past year, France and Saudi Arabia collaborated to convince Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state. The initiative began in late 2024 when the Kingdom pushed for France to recognize Palestine. Their joint efforts led to a July conference in New York where Arab nations condemned Hamas, called for its disarmament, and proposed a 15-month roadmap to a sovereign Palestinian state.

Not everyone is on board: The US and Israel boycotted the summit, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decrying the recognitions as “a massive prize to terror.” Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called the event a “charade.”

The US isn’t done yet: US President Donald Trump held a multilateral meeting early this morning with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan to discuss the Gaza situation. A joint declaration is expected later today.

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