French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France may recognize Palestine as a sovereign state during a UN conference in New York this June, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia. “This is not to please anyone; I will do it because it will be the right time and part of a broader momentum. Those who support Palestine should, in return, recognize Israel,” Macron said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Versen Aghabekian Shahin welcomed the initiative, calling it a “step in the right direction to uphold Palestinian rights and pursue the two-state solution.”