Palestinian constitution on French-PA agenda

On November 11, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian (Palestinian Authority) President Mahmoud Abbas announced the formation of a joint committee to draft a constitution for the State of Palestine.

Paris has longed aided in writing a constitution for various states, especially those it either colonized or mandated, including Lebanon between 1925 and 1926. Today, it seems to be stepping up its support for Palestine, aiming to enhance the foothold and influence it once held in the Middle East.

French Palestinian committee to draft Palestinian constitution

The announcement came during a joint press conference between Macron and Abbas, following a bilateral meeting held at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France.

Macron revealed that “we decided together to establish a joint committee for the consolidation of the state of Palestine,” claiming that it would “contribute to drawing up a new constitution, a draft of which President Abbas presented to me.” The latter reaffirmed this decision, agreeing “to the swift establishment of the constitutional committee.” Macron added that “this committee will work on all legal aspects: constitutional, institutional, and regulatory,” pointing out that these “necessary reforms are essential conditions for forming a viable, democratic, and sovereign Palestinian state, alongside Israel.”

The French president’s stance aligns with his vision for Palestine; one that is independent, viable and terrorist-free. Therefore, he has stressed the importance of empowering and reforming the PA as an alternative to Hamas, a commitment Abbas reiterated during the press conference, including organizing presidential and parliamentary elections “as soon as possible” and in “all Palestinian territories.” The French president even claimed that the PA will be “cancelling the system of paying money to prisoners,” and that a reform of school textbooks will be carried out “excluding any hate speech according to UN standards,” (particularly UNESCO). He believed it to be “essential to work on the swift return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of Hamas,” highlighting his country’s opposition to “the return of Hamas to control the Gaza Strip.”

French opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank

The aforementioned French vision of Palestine cannot be achieved amid a major sticking point: Israeli settlement expansion and annexation aspirations. Paris’ stance regarding the latter has always been vehemently against, citing human rights and international law violations.

Macron affirmed that Israeli annexation plans, whether “partial or total” or “de facto” through settlement activity in the West Bank, constitute a “red line” for France. He vowed that his country, along with other various European states, would respond “forcefully” if these plans were to be truly implemented. His comments came after Israeli Knesset a controversial bill to annex the West Bank in late October 2025.

The French president also tackled the issue of settler violence, to which he claimed that “settler violence and the acceleration of settlement projects have reached new record levels, threatened the stability of the West Bank and constituted violations of international law.”