Macron and Abbas plan committee towards Palestinian state

France and the Palestinian Authority plan to establish a joint committee to work on the consolidation of a future Palestinian state.

“This committee will deal with all legal, constitutional, institutional and organizational aspects,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris.

The committee is also expected to contribute to drafting a new constitution.

Abbas expressed full support for the creation of the constitutional committee and reiterated his call for Palestinian transitional institutions in the Gaza Strip to maintain links with the Palestinian Authority.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently noted that it remains unclear whether the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, would have a role in the Gaza Strip in the future.

Israel has historically opposed such arrangements.

The Palestinian militant Hamas group, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, has also opposed Palestinian Authority control in the territory.