On September 22, 2025, the international community was rocked by two seismic events that underscored the fragile state of peace and security in the Middle East and Africa. In New York, French President Emmanuel Macron received a prolonged standing ovation as he formally announced France’s recognition of the State of Palestine, calling it a "historic and necessary" step to end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, in Sudan, tragedy struck the besieged city of el-Fasher, North Darfur, when a drone strike during Friday prayers at a mosque killed at least 70 people, including 11 children, in what UNICEF described as an "atrocious, unconscionable act."
At the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, Macron declared, "The time has come... The time for peace has come because we’re just a few moments away from no longer being able to seize peace." According to Dawn, Macron’s address was marked by urgency and empathy, as he recounted the suffering of "hundreds of thousands of people who’ve been displaced, injured, famished, traumatized." He left no doubt about France’s position: "Nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza. On the contrary, everything compels us to definitively end it."
Macron strongly condemned the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, labeling it "the worst terrorist attack in Israeli history" and honoring the 51 French citizens killed. He reaffirmed France’s unwavering support for Israel’s right to security and its fight against terrorism, including antisemitism. "Nothing, never, nowhere can justify having recourse to terrorism," Macron insisted, underscoring the need for a political solution that respects the rights and dignity of both Israelis and Palestinians.
France’s recognition of Palestine, Macron emphasized, was not meant to harm Israel but to support a political solution that allows both peoples to coexist in peace and security. Quoting Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, he described Palestinians as "a people with a strong history, roots and dignity." He added, "The recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people takes nothing away from the rights of the people of Israel."
This move by France was not in isolation. Macron confirmed that countries such as Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, the UK, and San Marino had also joined the call to recognize Palestinian statehood. "This recognition is a defeat for Hamas," he declared. "It is a defeat for all those who ferment antisemitism, nurture anti-Zionist obsessions and who want the destruction of the State of Israel."
France and Saudi Arabia presented a peace and security plan to the UN General Assembly—the New York Declaration—which was adopted by a large majority. The declaration outlined three core priorities: the immediate release of the remaining 48 Israeli hostages held by Hamas and a ceasefire in Gaza; the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza through a transitional administration involving the Palestinian Authority and young Palestinians, backed by international partners to disarm Hamas; and comprehensive reform of Palestinian governance.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking via video link from Ramallah, committed to disarming Hamas and excluding it from future governance, combating hate speech, and renewing democratic institutions. "Hamas and other factions must surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority," Abbas said. "What we want is one unified state without weapons, a state with one law and one legitimate security forces." He addressed the Israeli people directly: "Our future and yours hangs on peace. Enough violence and war. Our generations deserve to enjoy freedom and security. Let the people in our region live in durable peace and good neighborliness."
France pledged to monitor the implementation of these reforms closely, expressing readiness to contribute to an international stabilization mission and support Palestinian security forces. Macron stressed that France’s future cooperation with Israel would depend on an end to the Gaza war and a return to peace negotiations. "It’s thanks to this path that we will get a State of Palestine, sovereign, independent and demilitarized, bringing together all of its territories, recognizing Israel and being recognized by Israel," he said, urging Arab and Muslim states that have yet to recognize Israel to do so once a Palestinian state is established.
Other world leaders echoed Macron’s call for peace. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced Portugal’s recognition of Palestine, calling it "a decisive contribution to the safeguarding of the two-state solution." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lamented "the grim pattern over the years: opportunities not taken, compromises rejected, good faith betrayed, a cycle of violence that has crushed generations." Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Israel of aiming to "prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established," but said Canada’s recognition was "part of a coordinated effort led by France and Saudi Arabia... to provide the possibility of peace in a two-state solution." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez went further, warning that "there is no solution possible when the population of one of those two states is the victim of a genocide," and called the conference "an act of moral rebellion and uprising against indifference and forgetfulness."
While the world’s eyes were on New York, Sudan was reeling from yet another atrocity. On September 19, 2025, a drone strike hit a mosque in the besieged city of el-Fasher, North Darfur, killing at least 11 children between the ages of 6 and 15 and at least 70 people overall, according to UNICEF and Associated Press. Local aid groups, activists, and the Sudanese army accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of launching the attack during prayers. Many victims were trapped under the rubble, and three doctors were among the dead.
UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell called the attack "shocking," while Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan, told the AP, "The people who were killed were absolutely innocent. They were people seeking shelter, people praying in a mosque. It’s an atrocious, unconscionable act." The ongoing civil war in Sudan has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced as many as 12 million, with thousands of children at risk of malnutrition due to limited access to food, clean water, and healthcare.
Antoine Gerard, Sudan Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator with the U.N., said, "We are quite concerned about targeting civilians, targeting the population and particularly hospital(s), mosque(s) and schools and any other civilian premises." Egypt condemned the drone strike as a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law, denouncing the targeting of places of worship and innocent civilians in the conflict."
Since April 10, 2025, more than 400 civilians have been killed in RSF attacks in North Darfur, including a major offensive that seized the Zamzam displacement camp and turned it into an RSF military base for assaults on el-Fasher. Disease rates are skyrocketing, and water and sanitation are hard to come by, Yett said, warning that "all this combined means the death of many children who shouldn’t have to die."
As world leaders debate peace and recognition in New York, the stark realities on the ground in Sudan and Gaza serve as a grim reminder: the path to justice and security in the region remains fraught with suffering, but also with hope for a future in which peace is more than just a word spoken from a podium.