French parliament votes to recognize Palestine as a state

World Today

Some left-wing parties members of Parliament applaud after French lawmakers voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a state on December 2, 2014, at the French National Assembly in Paris. The highly symbolic vote in the lower house National Assembly calling for the government to recognise a Palestinian state passed with 339 in favour and 151 against. This result follows similar moves in Britain and Spain that reflect growing European frustration with the stalled Middle East peace process. AFP PHOTO DOMINIQUE FAGET

The French parliament passed a symbolic vote to recognize Palestine as a state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised the French government saying it was a “courageous and encouraging step.”

Israelis denounced the vote. Israel said it was committed to establishing a Palestinian state under a peace agreement, but such a vote encouraged the Palestinians to avoid negotiations.

The French government said it wanted peace talks between the two sides to restart.

For more on the French vote and prospects for middle east peace talks, CCTV America talked with Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and an international policy analyst.