India, Sept. 23 -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday has announced France's formal recognition of the State of Palestine during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

In his address, the French leader stated that the decision to recognise Palestine comes as a "defeat for Hamas".

"True to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine," Macron said while addressing the assembly.

At the start of the session, Macron set the ball rolling by announcing Paris' formal recognition of statehood for Palestine.

Following Macron, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is...