Macron hints at recognising Palestinian state

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the recognition of a Palestinian state is no longer a taboo for France.

Lawmakers in France voted in 2014 to pressure their government into recognising Palestine, however it turned out to be a symbolic move that did not change Paris's diplomatic stance.

While the majority of countries in the world recognise Palestinian statehood, several western nations, including France, the US and UK have not done so, and believe that statehood can only come following negotiations from Israel.

"Our partners in the region, notably Jordan, are working on it, [and] we are working on it with them. We are ready to contribute to it, in Europe and in the Security Council. The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," Macron said alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II in Paris on Friday.

"We owe it to the Palestinians, whose aspirations have been trampled on for too long. We owe it to the Israelis who lived through the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century. We owe it to a region that longs to escape the promoters of chaos and those who sow revenge," he added.

The French president added that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah could only lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and would be a turning point in the conflict.