French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism of France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, telling CBS News that it is necessary to fight Hamas.
Macron plans to formalize his country's decision at the UN General Assembly next week in New York. Macron's decision puts France at odds with the United States, which opposes recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Rubio called the plan "reckless" in July, after Macron first announced the decision amid growing global disillusionment with Israel's war in Gaza, saying recognition "only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace."
In an interview with "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan on Thursday in Paris, Macron said "reckless" was "an overused word."
"The goal of Hamas is by no means to create a Palestinian state," he noted. "The goal of Hamas is to destroy Israel, to convince as many people as possible that they have no chance of peace and stability, and more precisely, a Palestinian state. And to kill as many Israelis as possible. And so, if we want to stop this war, if we want to isolate Hamas, the recognition process and the peace plan that is linked to that recognition process are a prerequisite."
Several governments, including those of Britain, Canada, Australia and Belgium, have also announced that they will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly.
Earlier, a group of US senators introduced the first resolution in the Senate calling for formal recognition of a Palestinian state.