France’s President Emmanuel Macron met with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Elysee Palace this morning for talks on the latest developments regard Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ways to reignite a political process that would end the decades old conflict between the Palestinians and Israel. French sources told TV7 that the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, during which President Macron urged his Palestinian counterpart to defuse the volatile situation across the Palestinian territories, while reaffirmed Paris’ commitment for a two-state solution as the only viable option to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Abbas, on his part, thanked the French leader for voting against Washington’s decision on Jerusalem, emphasizing that the Palestinians will not forget those who support their aspirations for statehood. That said, a senior French diplomat told TV7 that the decision to vote for the resolution that calls on the United States to withdraw its position on Jerusalem was not made to please the Palestinians, but rather with the aim of urging the Americans to uphold the international law and consensus, in which Jerusalem’s status will only be defined following direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
