Le Pen warns: Recognizing Palestine today means rewarding Hamas

As the Middle East remains embroiled in the fallout from the October 7 atrocities, French President Emmanuel Macron is once again taking refuge in empty rhetoric, declaring from a podium in Singapore that recognizing a Palestinian state is both a “moral duty” and a “political necessity.” 

But for those who still believe in realism, security, and the fight against terror, such declarations are not just misguided — they’re dangerous.

Fortunately, one voice in French politics has remained unwavering: Marine Le Pen. Speaking in response to Macron’s statement, the leader of the Rassemblement National delivered a stark warning: “Today, recognizing a Palestinian state means recognizing a Hamas state.” That may be uncomfortable for the Parisian elite to hear — but it is undeniably true.

Le Pen did not mince words. She reminded the country, and the world, that Hamas is not a misunderstood resistance movement or a “political actor” in waiting. 

It is a terrorist organization, internationally designated as such, and responsible for the gruesome massacre of civilians on October 7 — an event that many in the West seem all too eager to downplay or forget. 

To reward this group with statehood — as Macron appears prepared to do — is to signal that mass murder and theocratic fascism are acceptable paths to international recognition.

While Macron courts applause on the global stage, threatening to sanction Israel and review EU cooperation agreements like Horizon Europe, Le Pen is focused on the facts. 

Her position is clear: support for a two-state solution must never translate into appeasement of jihadist violence. “Yes to a Palestinian state,” she said, “but no to a Hamas state — no to a terrorist entity that would forever rob Israel of its right to security and stable borders.”

This is not a new position for Le Pen. Since the October 7 attacks, she has held firm — defending Israel’s right to self-defense, opposing the mainstreaming of Hamas in international diplomacy, and calling out Western leaders who, in their desperation for “peace,” are willing to overlook terrorism. Her consistency is rare. Her courage, even rarer.

Meanwhile, Macron’s posturing ahead of the UN conference on the two-state solution, which France will co-host with Saudi Arabia in June, raises troubling questions. 

Not only does it ignore the immediate threat posed by Hamas, but it also places the blame — and the pressure — squarely on Israel. Macron talks of “humanitarian responsibility” and warns Israel to act “within hours or days” — as if Tel Aviv, not Gaza, is the epicenter of this conflict.

Let us be clear: the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is real. 

But it is a crisis orchestrated by Hamas — who embed weapons in schools, hide behind civilians, and siphon international aid for war. Macron’s failure to address this root cause exposes the hollowness of his moral claims.

At a time when Europe is desperate for clarity, Marine Le Pen offers it. While others obfuscate or equivocate, she draws a red line: No statehood for terror. No reward for October 7. No compromise with Hamas.

That may not win her praise in diplomatic salons or glowing profiles in left-wing press — but it will resonate with a public that is tired of seeing Western values sacrificed on the altar of international appeasement.

France needs more of that honesty. The world does too.