France's UN Recognition and the Path to Peace: A Two-Year Update

A French diplomatic initiative at the United Nations and a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict have brought renewed attention to long-standing discussions about peace and a two-state solution. This report consolidates information on France's recognition of a Palestinian state, the advisory role of an activist in that process, and the current outlooks of Israelis and Palestinians two years after the outbreak of a major conflict.

France's UN Recognition and Advisory Influence

In September 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France's recognition of a Palestinian state during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. According to one report, this decision followed advisory input from Ofer Bronchtein, an Israeli-French peace activist.

France's diplomatic move at the UN was reportedly coordinated with Saudi Arabia.

• Ofer Bronchtein, 68, is president of the nonprofit International Forum for Peace and has served as an unpaid, informal adviser to President Macron in recent years.
• He holds French, Israeli, and Palestinian passports. He was born in Israel, lived in France as a child, and returned to Israel in 1975.
• His activism includes a 1987 meeting with PLO official Mahmoud Abbas, which resulted in a 15-day Israeli prison sentence due to a ban on such contacts at the time. He later advised Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the Oslo Accords negotiations in the 1990s.

Bronchtein stated that Macron's initial mission for him was to identify strategies for fostering Israeli-Palestinian cooperation. His suggestions reportedly included Arab state normalization with Israel and Israeli recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state, with France leading on recognition when appropriate.

Bronchtein has stated his belief that a sovereign Palestinian state existing before October 2023 could have prevented subsequent events and that recognition is not a reward for groups not seeking peaceful coexistence.

Conflict Status and Ceasefire

A separate phase of conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked communities in southern Israel. Israeli authorities reported approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 individuals taken hostage.

Subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza resulted in over 70,000 Palestinian fatalities, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

On October 10, 2025, a ceasefire agreement was implemented, mediated by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. Both Israel and Hamas have since accused the other of violating the ceasefire terms, with intermittent violence continuing.

Perspectives on Peace and Coexistence

In late 2025, follow-up interviews were conducted with individuals previously featured in a report on Israeli and Palestinian empathy.

• Oded Adomi Leshem, a political psychologist at Hebrew University, stated that while peace is achievable, the focus should be on its desirability. His research indicates a decline in the perceived desirability of peace among Jewish Israelis since 2019, while Palestinian perceptions have varied. He noted that majorities in both populations, on average, still express a desire for peace.

"The past two years have challenged the principle of finding humanity in everyone, a value taught by my father." — Yousef Bashir

• Yousef Bashir, a Palestinian from Gaza now living in the U.S., reported being affected by civilian casualties in Gaza, citing UN reports that a majority of fatalities were women and children. He founded the Saif Foundation to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and teaches his son multiple languages, including Hebrew, to foster cultural understanding.

• Dr. Lina Qasem Hassan, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and chair of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, advocates for the health of all communities. She reported experiencing deep depression following images from Gaza and the loss of family members. She has raised concerns about actions she attributes to Israel against Palestinians.

Israeli leadership states its operations target Hamas militants while attempting to minimize civilian casualties, alleging militants operate among civilians. Qasem Hassan expressed feeling alienated from Israeli society and finds peace a distant prospect.

• Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in the October 7 attacks, described a personal transformation involving spiritual growth and a path toward forgiveness.