French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.

At least 142 countries now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally -- though Israel and the United States strongly oppose the move.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "reckless decision (that) only serves Hamas propaganda".

"It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th," he wrote on X, alluding to the Islamist militant group's attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.

Several countries have announced plans to recognise statehood for the Palestinians since Israel launched a bombardment of Gaza nearly two years ago in response to the Hamas attacks.

Macron's announcement drew immediate anger from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it "rewards terror" and poses an existential threat to Israel.

Netanyahu said in a statement that the decision "risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became", which would be "a launch pad to annihilate........

© Al Monitor