They Remembered Palestine—But Only After Gaza Starved
They’ve announced it now. That France—one of the most “civilized” nations in the world—will formally recognise the State of Palestine. But not today. Not even this month. In September.
By then, who knows how many more will die in Gaza?
You’d think a moment like this would feel historic. Maybe even hopeful. But it doesn’t. Not when the timing feels like it’s meant more for headlines than for human lives. Macron’s post on X may be dressed in grand language, but it arrives on a mountain of ash, after months of silence, complicity, and delay.
Source: X/@EmmanuelMacron
The Conference That Disappeared
Let’s rewind a little. Not long ago, France and Saudi Arabia were planning a joint conference on Palestinian statehood. A proper diplomatic initiative. A chance—perhaps—for something serious. But the conference was postponed. Conveniently. Tensions rose, America frowned, and Paris quietly backed away. No explanation that really made sense. Just the same old hesitation when it comes to Palestinian rights.
Now, when Gaza has lost over 59,000 souls—most of them civilians, many of them children—France has decided it’s finally time. Time for a “solemn announcement,” Macron says. One that will happen at the UN, two months from now. By then, the war may have changed again. The bodies will have piled higher. And Gaza, already unrecognisable, may be reduced to memory.
Source: X/@Currentreport1
Is This Recognition or Reputation Repair?
One wonders: Is this recognition or reputation repair?
That question nags. Because if this were about justice—real justice—it would have come sooner. And it wouldn’t come with strings attached. But here we are. Macron’s gesture comes with a familiar condition: Palestine must be demilitarised. Specifically, Hamas must disarm. Of course. The world has always demanded that Palestinians prove they are peaceful enough to deserve peace.
But here’s the problem: no one’s asking the same of Israel. No one’s saying the IDF should be held to the same standard. No one is asking for the weapons, bombs, and drones that have levelled Gaza to be put away. Somehow, in every Western script, one side’s violence is called defence. The other is called terrorism.
Why is it only the oppressed who must become harmless before they are allowed to exist?
Source: X/@trtworld
A Gesture Born from Guilt, Not Justice
France may argue that this is about preserving the two-state solution. But what kind of solution is this? One state, fully armed and occupying land. The other told to surrender everything before it’s even born.
And yet, some will still call this progress. Maybe, in a shallow sense, it is. Recognition—even delayed—has symbolic value. But let’s be clear: it’s coming when there’s barely anything left to recognise. Gaza is starving. Its children are malnourished. Hospitals are rubble. Aid trucks are blocked. UN staff say famine is now officially at the highest level, Grade 5. People are literally dying of hunger.
This is what it took for Macron to speak. For others in the West to whisper words they had avoided for decades.
The West Wakes Up After the Fire
And it’s not just France. Spain, Ireland, Norway—they’ve all stepped up recently, saying they now support Palestinian statehood. It’s welcome, sure. But it’s also hard to ignore the timing. When Palestine needed protection, they offered patience. Now, when it needs survival, they offer symbolism.
Is it guilt? Is it optics? Maybe it’s both.
Let’s not be fooled. The same Western states now announcing recognition are the ones who armed Israel. Who blocked ceasefire resolutions? Who stayed quiet as entire families were buried under concrete. Now, when the rubble is too deep to look away, they’ve decided to call it a state.
Recognition Is Not a Reward
Recognition should never have been this late. And it should never have been conditional.
At AamAwaam.com, we believe in saying what others shy away from: that Palestine’s right to statehood was never something for France or America to grant. It is a right already enshrined in international law and recognized by over 140 nations. What Macron is offering now—after the bombs, after the bodies—isn’t justice. It’s a soft apology from a system that never saw Palestinians as fully human until their suffering reached a point too grotesque to ignore.
And What of Our Own Silence?
And what of our own silence? Our own rulers have watched this unfold with statements, not action. Our political parties have issued tweets, not policies. This, too, must change. We cannot outsource our conscience to Paris.
So no, we won’t applaud Macron for arriving late to a funeral. We will demand more. We will keep asking the uncomfortable questions.
Why is demilitarization only for Gaza?
Why does Palestinian survival need Western permission?
Why is recognition only valid once the cameras arrive?
And perhaps most painfully: how many lives does it take to move a European conscience?
For Gaza, This Isn’t a Win—It’s a Wound
To the people of Gaza: your sacrifice will not be reduced to a diplomatic note in September. Your resistance, your grief, and your humanity deserve more than what the world has given.
And to our readers: don’t let the West define the timeline of justice. Justice doesn’t begin in European parliaments. It begins when we stop accepting selective humanity as normal.
