France's President Emmanuel Macron hopes that his country formally recognising a Palestinian state in September will encourage other countries to follow suit, according to analysts.

International envoys are set to discuss a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict early next week in New York, before a further summit co-hosted by France ahead of the UN General Assembly in September.

- Why now? -

Macron's announcement on Thursday came as international alarm grew about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's war against the Hamas militant group has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation.

"The sense of urgency may have driven the president to move forward alone," France's former ambassador to Israel Gerard Araud told the France Inter broadcaster.

Besides the humanitarian crisis and "the shocking declarations of certain Israeli ministers" on the fate they wish for all Gazans, Macron may also have been influenced by the political climate in France, said David Khalfa of the Jean Jaures Foundation.

The war has triggered tensions in France, which is home to the largest Muslim........

© Al Monitor