Recognising Palestinian statehood will “destabilise” the Middle East, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday with several nations announcing their intention to make the move, AFP reports.

President Emmanuel Macron said in July that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting later this month.

Several other countries, including Australia, Belgium, and Canada, have since followed, saying they will do the same.

The British government said it would take the step if Israel fails to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

“The current initiative to recognise a so-called Palestinian state… rewards Hamas for the October 7 massacre,” Saar said in the Croatian capital. “This initiative will not bring us closer to peace or security; the opposite, it will only destabilise the region,” he added.

Saar spoke at a joint press conference with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic Radman, who emphasised his belief in the two-state solution that Israel rejects.