Macron and the recognition of a Palestinian State, story of a waltz-hesitation-Liberation

The extreme winds blow, the lobbies of the two camps are busy, Benyamin Netanyahu is unleashed. Emmanuel Macron knew he was playing big by announcing, in early April, its intention to recognize the Palestinian stateduring a conference organized with the Saudis in New York, from June 17 to 20.

The head of state had anticipated adversity, but to this point … here he is in his entourage. « Dark, you will enter history. And if you give up, you lose all credibility ”, Push him some, when others enjoin him to backtrack, on the theme: « You can’t do that, thus jeopardizing Israel, you’re going to pay dearly. »

Night and day, between The UN summit for the oceans And His visit to Greenlandthe president probes his conscience, the state of opinion, of power relations. He consults his counterparts, first the unpredictable Donald Trump on which, once again, everything is based. The American president delivered arms to the Israeli government, locked with him Distribution of food aid in Gazaleft his ambassador to Jerusalem affirm that a Palestinian state « Is no longer an objective of American policy ». But with the Businessman of the White House, everything is possible … and the Saudi ally Mohammed bin Salmane, who promised, in January, 600 billion investments in the United Statescould weigh.

Macron still hopes, at least he lets him say. «  »The president is determined to move forward« , Do we swear at the Elysée. The G7, which opens Sunday June 15 in Kananaskisin Canada, will allow final discussions. Macron will go there, after having welcomed this Friday, June 13, in Paris, actors from civil society, Israelis and Palestinians, gathered by the Peace Forum at the cost of a chaotic and costly organization, between urgency invitations, changes of stakeholders and program. He is on the call, launched on occasion, « For the two -state solution », In order to strengthen his speech in New York.

No one, even him at this stage, knows what his words will be. Will he honor his commitment to recognize a Palestinian state? Will he be satisfied with a declaration of principles, by posing the conditions sketched lately: release of all hostages, demilitarization of Hamas, new governance of the Palestinian authority, recognition of Israel by its neighbors? « They are untenable, Macron will be able to say: at least I tried », anticipates a diplomat at the heart of the file. Another, less peremptory: « With him, you never know which side the play will fall back. »

Macron discovers the inextricable Palestinian question. « For a long time, he ignored it », Retraces the one who made him aware of it, OFER Bronchtein, this inexhaustible militant of peace, left of the left, grew up in Israel then in France, ex-advisor of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who sent him to meet Yasser Arafat before The 1993 Oslo agreements. It was Daniel Cohn-Bendit who recommended him to Macron, Minister of the Economy, before his first trip to Israel, in 2015. He discovered the Hebrew State amazed, this « Nation start-up » that he wanted to duplicate in France.

It was necessary to remind him of diplomatic uses – the obligation to also stop in the occupied Palestinian territories – so that he visits Fissa an industrial park near Bethlehem. Everything, his friendships, his taste for business, tech, naturally wore him towards Israel. Bronchtein nevertheless convinced him, during his campaign, to meet in a Parisian palace, the president of the Palestinian authority, Mahmoud Abbas, whom he knows well, to the point of having been honored with a Palestinian passport.

The old activist was invited to the presidential trip to Israel in January 2020precious guide for Macron, opening the doors, calming tensions with Israeli police officersaccompanying him in the evening of a flash visit to Ramallah. He was thanked for a volunteer mission, without means, for « Promote Franco-Palestinian dialogue ». His two reports remained in the closet. They pointed out the emergency, the outbreak of extremists, the need to act for Gaza on the verge of implosion, the billions of European funding given without consideration.

Bronchtein even advocated to reconnect with Hamas. At the same time, the former ambassador, advisor to Jacques Chirac, Yves Aubin de la Messuzière, also challenged the Elysée, worried about the silence of France on Palestine. These preached in the desert, so few, so « old world » for Macron who then considered obsolete- « dogmatic », He said-the historic line of the Quai d’Orsay in favor of the two states.

It is true that no one, even the Arab countries, cared about the Palestinians. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son -in -law, came to unroll the Abraham agreements at the Elyséeunder the seduce of the president, also believing that the recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates and the Bahrain, before that promised in Saudi Arabia, and the billions of investments, would end up resolving everything. Built him on other fronts: Lebanon, Cavid, Ukraine.

Everything changed, after the massacres of October 7, its 1,200 victims killed by Hamas. Macron then launched This crazy idea of ​​ »anti-hamas coalition » blown at the evening of his departure for Tel Aviv by Bernard-Henri Lévyto the stupor of his diplomatic advisers and the Quai d’Orsay. He was discredited in the Arab world, drew like a child by the king of Jordan. Humiliation. He has evolved, resumed his mantra: the « at the same time », obsessed with the consequences, in France, of the war in Gaza. He weighed the weight of Jewish, Arab communities, listened to each other, the voice of his friend « BHL », like that of His humorist entrepreneur, Yassine Belattara controversial character but deemed useful to probe young Muslims. Two irreconcilable, which Macron will want to invite together During his last trip to the fall in Morocco.

The Head of State refused to participate in the big walk against anti -Semitism of November 13, 2023so as not to give the feeling of being sensitive only to pain in the Jewish community. Three weeks later, He celebrated Hanukka at the Elyséecandles lit alongside the Grand Rabbi of France, Haïm Korsiaclaiming in front of the rector of the great mosque of Paris, also present, that he was going to engage on Palestine. « Macron is looking for the right way », It is reminded eternally at the Elysée. It is true, at the risk of appearing without line, erratic.

From November 2023, he « Exhorted Israel to stop the bombings of civilians in Gaza », While mobilizing for the release of hostages. He sent humanitarian aid and a French helicopter carrier, THE Dixmude, Transformed into a military hospital in Al-Arichthe Egyptian port closest to Gaza. But order was given not to communicate, not disseminate any testimony, no photo.

The soldiers on board, however, hallucinated: so many ambulances, convoys of drugs, foodstuffs, from France, Italy, Emirates, Qatar … all blocked by the Israelis. And in the drop, according to the goodwill of Tsahal, wounded, women, mutilated children, orphaned babies, « Dorting dead », According to an officer on board. Everything has been filmed, photographed, shown to the generals who came to the Dixmude, as well as to the Minister of the Armed Forces, the president of the president, Sébastien Lecornu. The horror in Gaza has been reported over the months by soldiers, doctors, humanitarian workers. To those, many, who urged him to act – diplomats, the stainless Ofer Bronchtein, the European deputy Bernard Guetta, the former minister Hubert Védrine … -, Emmanuel Macron said: « Yes, time comes … » « But nothing moved, recalls an ambassador. Macron seemed to be held by the Israelis, we were tearing the hair. ”

And it was there, in Al-Arich, eighteen months later, in April, that the president announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state. His visit to the local hospital – the first of a manager also near Gaza – rocked him. He said it publicly, his diplomatic advisor, Emmanuel Bonne, blowing on his side: « It’s Holodomor », in reference to Famine organized in 1933 by Stalin in Ukraine. But his decision had been made before, upon his visit to Riyadh in early December, when a « strategic partnership » was sealed with MBS, including Lebanon and Gaza, with the principle of a common conference, to the UN, « On both states ».

Macron understood that he could not act alone. He took the measure of the disaster, of the deadly logic of Netanyahu, with whom relations have become, it is said in both those around, « Execable ». He saw, on social networks, the flood of images, videos of Gaza, the youth mobilized worldwide, Villepin’s popularitywhich is now dreaming of the Elysée, everywhere applauded, listened to at the Quai d’Orsay. Macron heard the leaders of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, confused to see him so mobilized for Ukraine and so helpless in Gaza, despite his eternal promise: « No double standard. » So he walked, singularly pushed by dissolution, which confines His real power internationally. And his small army of non-stop connectors confirmed to him that, during the war, support for Israel, the French are now sensitive to the Palestinian cause. « The rejecting effect of the beginning, linked to the support of LFI, falls, they say. Almost two thirds of French people support the creation of a Palestinian state. ”

The president holds his line: « I defend the legitimate law of the Palestinians to a state and to peace, like that of the Israelis to live in peace and security », he insists on April 11 on X. « Go make yourself …! » Immediately loaded the third son of Netanyahu. The father called him to apologize, while accusing him of playing Hamas and fueling anti -Semitism. The French president is conspired in the media, targeted. He knows that Israeli leaders can be formidable, Order was given the French services to distance from Mossad.

But Macron takes great care to maintain links with the representatives of the Jewish community, again gathered recently at the Elysée, to try to calm worries. He received in an emergency, on May 18, during a dinner in head, the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, very reassembled too. The president assured him that he would not recognize the Palestinian state without conditions. He even obtained a letter from « Hope, courage of clarity » of the old Mahmoud Abbas suddenly saying to the demilitarization of the Islamist movement, and condemning terrorism, made public yesterday on Instagram. Ways are envisaged for the remaining leaders of the terrorist movement to be exiled to Djakarta, Doha…

The Head of State is also attentive to the Gulf countries, Qatar, PSG shareholder, celebrated after His victory in the Champions League final at the Elysée and spared the design during The submission of the report on the Muslim Brotherhood in France. Then he inaugurated the office of the Saudi sovereign fund (Public Investment Fund) which weighs 1,000 billion euros, recently opened on rue de Miromesnil. The balances are fragile, the world vacillates, Macron is on the tightrope. No doubt he in mind the words of Albert Camus, engraved in highlights of OFER Bronchtein: « Peace is the only fight that is worth being waged. »