Paris, November 12, 2025 – The Europe Today: French President Emmanuel Macron met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the “full implementation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the next steps toward Palestinian state-building.
Following the meeting, President Macron announced the launch of a joint committee with the Palestinian Authority to draft a new Palestinian constitution. “We decided together to establish a joint committee for the consolidation of the State of Palestine,” Macron said, noting that the committee would “contribute to drawing up a new constitution, a draft of which President Abbas presented to me.”
President Abbas welcomed the initiative, agreeing “to the swift establishment of the constitutional committee.” The meeting comes a month into a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, following two years of conflict triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Abbas, 89, is the long-time head of the Palestinian Authority, which currently exercises limited control over parts of the West Bank and is expected to assume governance in Gaza under the ceasefire agreement.
The leaders also discussed Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank. Macron described such plans as a “red line,” stating, “Plans for partial or total annexation, whether legal or de facto, constitute a red line to which we will respond strongly with our European partners.” He added that the escalation of settler violence and accelerated settlement projects threatens West Bank stability and violates international law.
The Paris talks follow Macron’s September decision to recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations summit, which the Palestinian Authority described as “historic and courageous.” Macron also highlighted the need to ensure continued humanitarian aid access for Gaza and to implement reforms within the Palestinian Authority. According to the Élysée Palace, strengthening the governing body is critical for building “a democratic and sovereign Palestinian state, living in peace and security alongside Israel.”
However, multiple sources indicate that Gaza remains effectively divided. The Israeli military currently controls 53 percent of the territory, including farmland, parts of Gaza City, and Rafah in the south, while the remaining area is under Hamas control. Humanitarian conditions remain dire, with nearly 2 million residents living in tent camps and rubble across the region.
The October 2023 Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 Israelis, mostly civilians. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed over 69,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The figures have been widely referenced by the United Nations as reliable for humanitarian reporting purposes.
Macron and Abbas’s discussions signal continued French support for Palestinian state-building and efforts to stabilise the region while maintaining humanitarian assistance and upholding international law.
