By Johnathan Paoli
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday expressed his gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron for formally recognising Palestine as a sovereign state.
Speaking during his address at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s high-level meeting on the two-state solution, Ramaphosa highlighted what he described as a “historic and bold” moment in the global push for Palestinian statehood.
“I’d like to congratulate the president of France, President Macron, for today announcing a very bold decision to support the long overdue creation and the recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine.
“President Macron, I stand here to congratulate you and to congratulate others who have taken this step,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa’s words framed Macron’s recognition as a decisive turning point, signalling momentum within the international community after decades of political deadlock.
France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a key player in Middle Eastern diplomacy, has long been viewed as cautious on the Palestinian issue.
Its recognition, Ramaphosa suggested, could encourage hesitant nations to follow suit.
Just this week several other Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Portugal, officially recognised Palestine as a state.
Drawing on South Africa’s history of anti-apartheid struggle, Ramaphosa reiterated that justice and peace in the Middle East hinge on the creation of a viable, “contiguous Palestinian state alongside Israel, based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
While reiterating that South Africa had condemned the 2023 Hamas assault on Israel that left over 1 200 people dead, Ramaphosa said Israel had responded with “disproportionate punishment against the people of Palestine,” pointing to civilian deaths in Gaza, expanding settlements in the West Bank, and what he termed “acts of genocide.”
Ramaphosa outlined five urgent steps to restore the prospects of peace: global recognition of Palestine, an immediate ceasefire, full respect for international law, halting illegal settlements and the separation wall, and restoring humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza.
“This is a conflict that has gone on for almost as long as the United Nations has existed… we as the international community must act now also in unison,” Ramaphosa said.
South Africa, he said, was heartened by the growing momentum, with 142 nations now recognising Palestine.
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