French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism of France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, telling CBS News that doing so is necessary to combat Hamas.
Macron plans to formalize his country's decision at the United Nations General Assembly next week in New York. Macron's decision puts France at odds with the United States, which opposes recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Rubio called the plan "reckless" in July after Macron first announced the decision amid growing global frustration with Israel's war in Gaza, saying recognition "only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace."
In an interview with "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan on Thursday in Paris, Macron said "reckless" was "an excessive word."
"The objective of Hamas is absolutely not to create a Palestinian state," he said. "The objective of Hamas is to destroy Israel, to convince the maximum number of people that they have no chance to have peace and stability, and precisely a Palestinian state. And to kill the maximum number of Israeli people. And this is why, if we want to stop this war, if we want to isolate Hamas, the recognition process and the peace plan which goes with this recognition process is a precondition."
Several other U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom and Canada, have said in recent months they also plan to recognize a Palestinian state.
Tune in Sunday morning to "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" for more of her interview with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
