French President Emmanuel Macron made news headlines yesterday after he announced that it has formally recognized a Palestinian state. Macron, addressing the United Nations (UN) in New York in French, said that “the time for peace has come.” France joins several other countries recognizing a Palestinian state after nearly two years of war in Gaza. Israel, and its close ally, the United States oppose the recognition of a Palestine state.

Joining France are Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Portugal. Of the 193 members of the UN, 156 countries have recognized a Palestine state. These include Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.

Germany and Italy have said they will not be recognizing a Palestinian state at this time.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Condemns “Genocide” In Gaza

Lost behind Macron’s headlines yesterday was a dramatic shift in Mexican foreign policy when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at the UN that Israel’s war in Gaza was a “genocide.”

A picture of PLO ambassador to México Nadya Rasheed and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, March 21, 2025
PLO ambassador to México Nadya Rasheed and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, March 21, 2025, courtesy of Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México.

On March 21, 2025, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accepted the diplomatic credentials of the PLO ambassador at a diplomatic event in Mexico City. Sheinbaum, who is Jewish, accepted Nadya Rasheed’s as the newest Palestinian ambassador to México. Since 2013, México has accepted Palestinian diplomatic representatives, but it wasn’t until 2023 when México officially announced full support of Palestinian statehood.

Yesterday, Sheinbaum said the México joins the international community in stopping the “Genocide in Gaza.” Sheinbaum has supported Palestine since at least 2009 when she wrote a letter to La Jornada, writing that “nothing, nothing, nothing, can justify the murder of a child,” referring to images of Palestinian children dying in Gaza in an earlier Israeli war in Gaza.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) initially took a neutral stance with the issue of Palestine and instead called for peace. However, on June 2, 2023, México reclassified the Palestinian diplomatic mission in México from a special delegation to an embassy, in effect recognizing a Palestinian state.

México first established diplomatic relations with the PLO in 1975 but kept the Palestinian issue low key to avoid complications with the US government. Yesterday, Sheinbaum joined several countries in pushing for Palestinian statehood.

The State of Palestine, as it has officially been designated in the documents by the UN since 2012, has observer status at the UN. The United States holds veto power at the UN essentially ending any attempt by the UN to admit Palestine as a member.

Israel invaded Gaza after the militant group, Hamas killed 1,200 people after it attacked Israel. According to officials, more than 65,000 Palestinians have died since Israel retaliated.

The two-state solution that Israel and the US are opposed to is part of the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Accords, signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Negotiator Mahmoud Abbas, called for a two-party solution to the conflict between Israel and the PLO.

Israel ’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will not recognize a Palestinian state until Hamas is destroyed. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on September 29 before returning to Israel. The Trump Administration opposes any recognition of Palestine.

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