Paris is not seeking to launch a diplomatic initiative to solve the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict that escalated after the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transfer the embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.
However, France’ position doesn't mean that Paris is giving up its role in the file, which President Emmanuel Macron described as “explosive,” after meeting Tuesday in Paris with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Accordingly, the French diplomacy, headed by Macron, is currently active in all directions to tackle the issue.
Macron already received Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Dec. 10 and would meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas next Friday.
“Now is not the time for France to push an initiative to settle issues between Israel and the Palestinians,” Macron told reports after his meeting with Abdullah II.
Therefore, a joint position might be nurturing between the French president and the Jordanian King to see the full US initiative put on the table.
Arab diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that despite criticizing the US step and realizing that it damages peace and stability in the region, “it is clear that currently, Paris does not want to disturb Washington, based on a US request.”
According to the sources, “this is a well-known American tactic to ask for a time limit. If it fails to deal with the conflict, Washington will then ask Europe to intervene.”
Observers believe that the Palestinian-Israeli file would not constitute much attention in Macron’s term, maybe because the French president realizes the complexity of the issue, and the impossibility of achieving any break without the involvement of Washington.
This condition was clear during Macron’s meeting with Netanyahu last week when the French President could only ask the Israeli prime minister to take “courageous steps” vis-à-vis the Palestinians.
The meeting between the two men was closer to “a dialogue of the deaf.”
