Published on, Sept. 22 -- September 22, 2025 5:50 PM

Nearly two dozen town halls across France raised the Palestinian flag on Monday, openly defying a government warning against such displays. The move came just hours before President Emmanuel Macron's expected recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Macron's pledge to acknowledge Palestine, first announced during the summer, has already angered Israel and sparked debate within France.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a hardline conservative and leader of the Republicans Party, had issued a circular last week directing prefects to prevent such acts. He stressed that the principle of neutrality in public service prohibited political symbo...