“The Franco-Saudi initiative, along with the New York Declaration endorsed by 142 states, created decisive momentum and paved the way for the peace plan signed today.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stand with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before attending a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. Yoan Valat/Reuters
“The Franco-Saudi initiative, along with the New York Declaration endorsed by 142 states, created decisive momentum and paved the way for the peace plan signed today.”
That’s what French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot boldly declared on Monday—beaming like a man who just accepted an Oscar for a film he didn’t act in.
The only problem?
France didn’t have a speaking role.
The peace plan for Gaza was initiated, brokered, and led entirely by Donald Trump, and formalized during the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The French presence? Symbolic at best. Decorative at worst.
Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump didn’t let the comment slide. According to aides, he quipped:
“Macron? I thought he was an influencer, not a negotiator.”
Ouch.
This isn’t a new habit. France has a long tradition of inserting itself into global history with theatrical flair—often after the final act. When the camera’s rolling, the French delegation somehow finds its way into the frame, usually right in time for the credits.
But as the world moves forward, it becomes harder to pretend that Paris is still calling the shots. Because in this case, it wasn’t even holding the phone.
Reality Check
While Trump, Egypt, and regional stakeholders hammered out a deal, France was… issuing statements. Now, it’s retroactively claiming ownership of a plan it didn’t write, in a room it wasn’t leading, at a summit where it was barely noticed.
Diplomacy is often about subtlety.
This wasn’t subtle. This was delusional.
Naim Qassem took to the podium Friday for the Ashura commemorations and delivered precisely the speech the world expected, word for word, beat for beat, with all the spontaneity of a hostage reading from a script prepared in Tehran.
There are mistakes, and then there are betrayals dressed up as diplomacy. Donald Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran - one that folds Lebanon into a ceasefire framework between Israel and Hezbollah - belongs firmly in the second category.
For decades, diplomats, scholars, presidents, kings, emirs, generals, and United Nations envoys have tried to achieve one impossible goal in the Middle East: Consensus.
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