Trump dismisses Macron's plan to recognise Palestinian state

WASHINGTON (Reuters/AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

"What he says doesn't matter," Trump told reporters at the White House. "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight."

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.

At least 142 countries now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally -- though Israel and the United States strongly oppose the move.

Several countries have announced plans to recognise statehood for the Palestinians since Israel launched a bombardment of Gaza in 2023 in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

Macron's announcement drew immediate anger from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it "rewards terror" and poses an existential threat to Israel.

Netanyahu said in a statement that the decision "risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became", which would be "a launch pad to annihilate Israel -- not to live in peace beside it".

Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the move, saying it "reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state".

Hamas hailed Macron's pledge as a "positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and supporting their legitimate right to self-determination".