Executive Summary

A unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood by France or any European country would be a grave strategic and moral error, especially in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacres of Israeli civilians. Such a move, far from advancing peace, would have dangerous consequences for Europe, the Middle East, and the world:

• Rewarding Terrorism: Unilateral recognition would be perceived as rewarding Hamas’s terror campaign. Coming so soon after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, a recognition now signals that violence and atrocities can yield political gains.

• Undermining Peace: By bypassing negotiations, unilateral recognition undercuts any notion of a peace process. It grants statehood as a symbolic gesture while disincentivizing the Palestinian leadership to meet any meaningful requirements or carrying out reforms such as renouncing terrorism or compromise, pushing a genuine solution further out of reach.

• Fracturing Western Unity: This step would risk undermining European unity and drive another wedge between Europe and the United States, damaging the transatlantic alliance at a time of global uncertainty when it is most needed. It also subverts the notion of an EU consensus on foreign policy, as stipulated by its founding treaties.

• Empowering Radical Islamism: Handing Islamist radicals an…