PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday that any Israeli plans for annexation in the occupied West Bank would be a “red line” and would provoke a European reaction.

He spoke as Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas visited Paris one month into a fragile truce in Gaza.

Abbas, 89, is a long-time head of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and is being considered to possibly assume governance in Gaza under the deal.

Macron, whose country recognised a Palestinian state in September, warned against any Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank following an uptick in violence in the Palestinian territory.

“Plans for partial or total annexation, whether legal or de facto, constitute a red line to which we will respond strongly with our European partners,” Macron said at a joint press conference with Abbas.

“The violence of the settlers and the acceleration of settlement projects are reaching new heights, threatening the stability of the West Bank and constitute violations of international law,” the French president said.

Violence in the occupied territory has soared since the Gaza conflict started in Oct 2023.

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in occupied West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since Oct 2023.

Constitutional committee

Following their meeting to discuss the next steps after the Gaza ceasefire, Macron and Abbas announced the creation of a joint committee “for consolidation of the state of Palestine”, the French leader said. It “will contribute to the drafting of a new constitution, a draft of which President Abbas presented to me”.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2025