French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shake hands after a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on November 11, 2025. Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA
President Emmanuel Macron said France and the Palestinian Authority will create a joint panel to draft a new constitution for a Palestinian state.
Macron made the announcement Tuesday in Paris, where he greeted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in France for an official visit.
“Mr. President of the State of Palestine, dear Mahmoud Abbas, welcome to Paris,” Macron said in a statement on X.
“Together, we are preparing for the day after, when two states, Israel and Palestine, will live side by side in peace and security.”
Monsieur le Président de l’État de Palestine, cher Mahmoud Abbas, bienvenue à Paris.
Ensemble, nous préparons le jour d’après, où deux États, Israël et la Palestine, vivront côte à côte en paix et en sécurité. pic.twitter.com/dLN1kY5GqI— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 11, 2025
A statement from the French president’s office said Macron received Abbas at the Elysee Palace, where they discussed next steps in the peace plan and coordination with Arab and international partners with a view to preparing for the “day after.”
Following their meeting, Macron announced that the pair had decided to establish “a joint committee for the consolidation of the State of Palestine.”
“This committee will be responsible for working on all legal, constitutional, institutional and organizational aspects. It will contribute to the drafting of a new constitution, of which President Abbas has presented me a draft, and will aim to complete all conditions necessary for such a State of Palestine,” Macron said in the statement.
“Today’s visit marks a new and crucial stage in the relationship between France and the State of Palestine and opens a new phase of joint work for peace, security and dignity for all in the region.”
Macron heralded the meeting as the first visit by a Palestinian president to France since Paris formally recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations on Sept. 22.
France, along with several Western nations, took the mostly symbolic measure during the U.N. General Assembly in New York City amid growing criticism of Israel over its war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
A U.S.-brokered cease-fire was agreed to between the Hamas militant group and Israel, resulting in a fragile truce that both sides have accused the other of violating.
Israel has rejected moves to recognize a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war. Since then, Israel has destroyed much of the enclave and killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, including 245 since the cease-fire began in mid-October, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli Embassy in France rebuked Paris following Macron’s meeting with Abbas.
“Mahmoud Abbas once again manipulates France,” it said in a statement.
“Instead of taking concrete measures to build trust between Israeli and French leaders following the unconditional and unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, France is strengthening its support for Abbas, thereby marginalizing itself in the search of future solutions for the Middle East.”
“Persisting on this path will condemn France to an insignificant role in the region,” the embassy warned.
