The Department of State is frustrated by France and the United Kingdom’s plan to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state, saying such rhetoric gives “false hope” to terrorists and denigrates Hamas’s victims.

The actions of Britain and France reflect souring public approval for both Israel's war in Gaza—which attempts to stamp out the terrorist group Hamas, responsible for perpetrating the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and took 250 hostage—and Israel's increasingly aggressive actions in the West Bank.

France will officially recognize the state of Palestine, "true to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," Emmanuel Macron said.