France's President Emmanuel Macron announced on X that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. This decision was met with strong criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called it a "reckless decision" that "only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace." The United States, under President Donald Trump's administration, will not attend an upcoming UN conference on the two-state solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for July 28-30. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Macron's decision, stating it "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy," and further asserted that Palestinians seek a state "instead of Israel."

The US, while officially supporting a two-state solution, has expressed doubts about its viability. President Trump previously suggested a plan to "take over" Gaza, a proposal condemned by rights groups as "ethnic cleansing." In June, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that an independent Palestinian state was not a U.S. foreign policy goal, a statement later distanced from by the State Department. The ongoing conflict in Gaza, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, further complicates the situation, with mounting international pressure on Israel to end its military offensive. A joint statement from 28 countries urged an immediate end to the conflict.

Impact Statement: The US rejection of France's initiative, coupled with the ongoing conflict in Gaza and differing views within the US administration, significantly escalates tensions in the Middle East and further complicates the prospects for a lasting peace agreement.