French President Emmanuel Macron says his country plans to recognise a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June.

“We welcome the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding his country’s readiness to recognise the State of Palestine,” said Hamas official Mahmud Mardawi.

He called the announcement “an important step that, if implemented, would constitute a positive shift in the international position towards the legitimate national rights of our Palestinian people”.

“France, as a country with political weight and a permanent member of the [UN] Security Council, has the ability to influence the course of fair solutions and push towards ending the occupation and achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”