Last week, the French foreign minister announced that if his country’s latest attempt to restart the peace process fails to yield results, France will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. Besides the fact that this declaration blames Israel preemptively for the failure of future negotiations, writes Alan Baker, unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would also violate France’s own commitments under the Oslo Accords, of which it is a signatory:
The commitments, set down in [the Oslo] agreement, to negotiate the permanent status of the territories as well as other central issues such as Jerusalem, borders, settlements, and refugees, are solemn Palestinian and Israeli obligations which France, together with its EU partners, as well as the United States, Russia, Egypt, Jordan, and Norway are obligated to honor after placing their signatures on the agreement as witnesses. . . .
[I]n threatening to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally and arbitrarily, France is clearly prejudging the issue of the permanent status of the territory. . . . In this context, France and its European colleagues cannot and should not act to undermine the Palestinian obligation set out in . . . the agreement, according to which no step will be taken to “change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent-status negotiations.” . . .
In imposing its ultimatum and threat to recognize unilaterally a Palestinian state if France’s efforts to “make happen the solution of two states” should fail, France is, in effect, granting the Palestinian side the prerogative not to engage in any bona-fide negotiations with Israel, knowing that, [regardless of the outcome], France will unilaterally grant the Palestinians what they are demanding.
Read more on Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: http://jcpa.org/frances-ultimatum-to-israel-legally-flawed-and-politically-imprudent