Republicans rebuke French president for defying US on Palestinian recognition Nobody’s scared of France

A growing chorus of Republican senators has voiced strong criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron for advancing a diplomatic initiative to secure international recognition of a Palestinian state, despite vocal opposition from the United States.

The backlash reflects mounting tensions between Washington and Paris as France prepares to co-chair a United Nations conference focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

The upcoming summit, titled “The High Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, will be co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia at UN headquarters in New York next week. US officials have condemned the initiative as untimely and counterproductive, particularly in light of ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages.

In a diplomatic cable, the United States issued a demarche urging UN member states not to participate in the conference. The cable warned that any government taking “anti-Israel actions” following the summit would be considered as acting in direct opposition to US foreign policy priorities and may face diplomatic repercussions.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) did not mince words in his criticism of the French president. “It certainly sounds like they take us for granted and think that they can act without consequence. France has a long history of doing this in foreign policy. They’re consistently a problem and have been forever, but I’d say it’s very unhelpful of them at this present moment,” Hawley said.

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) offered a characteristically blunt assessment of Macron’s leadership, suggesting the French president was increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. “Well, it’s Macron. The Bob Dylan song ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was named after him,” Kennedy quipped. “He’s powerless right now, and he’s got too much time on his hands.”

Asked how the United States should respond if Macron persists with the diplomatic initiative, Kennedy added, “Unless it gets out of hand, I would just ignore them. Nobody’s scared of France. Germany runs Europe, not France. Right now, I know the Brits have left the EU but they’re still part of NATO, and the two countries that matter right now are Germany and the UK. I love France … but I meant what I said, Macron, he’s lost all of his power. He’s erratic.”

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) revealed he had personally engaged with French officials in an attempt to dissuade them from moving forward with the Palestinian recognition effort. “Now is not the time. That’s what I told the French,” Graham stated, without elaborating on the French response.

Several GOP senators also criticized France’s broader diplomatic posture, particularly its historic ties with Iran and perceived inconsistency on Middle East affairs.

“They’ve generally had a cozy relationship with Iran that is purely driven by economic ties, maybe some historic ties. It makes no sense to me. I don’t think it’s well received by our administration,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). When pressed on whether Macron’s push would impact US foreign policy, Tillis responded, “I don’t know. I think it all depends on how far it goes. I think they’re still in the thought phase. It will be interesting to see if anything meaningful comes out of it, then I think the administration will probably take a more definitive position against it.”

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) dismissed the French efforts as inconsequential to American decision-making. “France will be France. When they need our help, they always come ask us. Right now they’re trying to be tough, so let them stand there on their own ground, by all means. What they do doesn’t change what we decide to do,” he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva