Macron conditions the release of hostages held in Gaza on opening an embassy in Palestine

France’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state will not include the opening of an embassy until Hamas frees the hostages it is holding in Gaza, President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview that aired Sunday.

It will be, for us, a requirement very clearly before opening, for instance, an embassy in Palestine, Macron told CBS News in an interview taped Thursday.

Macron also spoke out strongly against any plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza — which they want to be part of a future sovereign state — when rebuilding the territory.

But if the precondition of such a plan is to push them out, this is just a craziness, Macron said on Face the Nation.

We should not be — for the credibility of the United States, for the credibility of France — we cannot be implicitly or explicitly complacent with such a project.

The interview was aired as Britain, Australia and Canada on Sunday recognized a Palestinian state in a coordinated, seismic shift from decades of Western foreign policy.

The move triggered swift anger from Israel, which finds itself under huge international pressure over its war against Hamas in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged territory.

Portugal was also set to recognize Palestinian statehood later Sunday, while France says it will do so along with other countries Monday at the United Nations.

The roster of countries stating their intention to recognise a Palestinian state brought an angry response from Israeli politicians.

Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, said the acknowledgement would be detrimental ntal to those seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

It will not help one Palestinian, it won’t help free one hostage, said Herzog in a statement. And it will not help us reach any settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.

It will only embolden the forces of darkness. This is a sad day for those who seek true peace.

In a message addressed to Starmer, Albanese and Carney, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said there would be no Palestinian state.