Netanyahu says Macron fuelling 'antisemitic fire' 

Netanyahu has said that French President Emmanuel Macron is fuelling 'antisemitic fire', news agency AFP has reported. In a letter, Netanyahu blamed the French leader's move to recognise a Palestinian state. 

"Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas's refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews, and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets," Netanyahu wrote in the letter. 

On 24 July, Macron confirmed in a letter addressed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that France will recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The United States called it a "reckless decision" that "sets back peace".

The move came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on 29 July that the United Kingdom would recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip by then. 

On 30 July, Canada announced its intention to proceed with recognising the state of Palestine at the next UN General Assembly, followed by Portugal on 31 July. 

While 148 countries currently recognise the Palestinian state, a majority of western countries do not. France, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, was the first G7 state to take the step.