French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that France is contemplating "concrete steps" against Israel due to alleged obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Speaking alongside Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Paris, Macron said that a decision would be made in the coming days.
"Discussions on this matter are ongoing," Macron said. "We will decide in the next couple of days if we need to harden our tone and take concrete steps regarding Israel."
President Lula echoed Macron's sentiments, emphasizing the moral and political imperative of recognizing a Palestinian state. "Recognition of a Palestinian state is a moral and human duty, and a political requirement for all world leaders," Lula said. Brazil recognized the State of Palestine in 2010.
These statements come ahead of a United Nations-backed conference on the two-state solution, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for June 17–20 in New York. The conference aims to establish a framework for Palestinian statehood while ensuring Israel’s security.
Macron has previously indicated that France might recognize a Palestinian state during the conference, a move that could position France as the first major Western power to do so. Such recognition would align France with the 147 UN member states that have already recognized Palestine.
Israel has expressed strong opposition to these developments. In response to Macron's recent remarks, Israeli officials accused him of launching a "crusade against the Jewish state." Israel's government maintains that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state undermines peace efforts and rewards terrorism.
Meanwhile, two prominent European universities have announced the suspension or termination of academic collaborations with Israeli institutions, citing concerns over the ongoing war in Gaza and potential human rights violations.
The University of Geneva said on Thursday that it will end its strategic partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will not renew a student exchange program with Tel Aviv University set to expire in 2026. In a statement, the university expressed "outrage at the humanitarian situation in Gaza" and called on all parties, particularly the Israeli government, to respect human rights and international humanitarian law.
Similarly, Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands announced an immediate freeze on collaborations with Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Haifa. The decision follows recommendations from the university's Advisory Committee on Sensitive Collaborations, which found credible indications that these Israeli institutions may be involved in structural violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The committee advised against initiating new partnerships or collaborations with the mentioned universities and recommended suspending existing exchange programs. It also suggested minimizing participation in existing research consortia involving these institutions until further assessments can be made.