Catherine Field: France Correspondent on France formally recognising Palestine as a state

France has formally recognised the state of Palestine, joining the likes of the UK, Canada, and Australia.  

President Emanuel Macron has made the announcement at the UN General Assembly, where the US and Israel are absent.   

France Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that they know this won’t change much, but it could eventually be part of a pathway to a two-state solution. 

She says it’s more of a way for France to stand up and make the statement that something has to be done. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catherine Fields with us in France. Good morning, Good morning man.
I don't know if you've got a poll there in
New Zealand it was forty percent people who think we
should recognize Palestine. Broadly speaking, here it's not that big
an issue. In Australia it was even lower. Where would
you assess it in France? You know, is there a
frisson about it?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
There is? I mean there is really a feeling you get,
not just talking to diplomats and think tanks, but feeling
that there is so much happening in Gaza that needs
to have a reaction to it that is stronger than
just the words that are coming out. And also there's
this feeling that there needs to be more of a
counterweight to the US and Israel when it comes to Palestine.

(00:43):
I mean, let's not be under any illusions here, Mike.
France realizes that this is not going to change a
heck of a lot. It's a very small step. It
may eventually become a medium step. It could eventually be
part of a pathway to that two state solution. But
for the moment, France is saying that it's going to
ur it's planning to formally recognize a Palestinian state in

(01:05):
the next couple of hours, and it may well help
push along, I feel like, create parameters whereby there will
be a discussion on some sort of peace plan. Eventually
Palestine getting its own government, its own You're having the
ability to make its own decisions. That's where they're seeing it.

(01:26):
As you know, let's not forget what is it, one
hundred and forty five nations at the UN already recognize
Palestinian state. So it's really more a way of France
saying it wants to stand up, stand with Saudi Arabia
and make the statement that something has to be done.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, let me come back to the other war in
just a couple of moments. I'm just reading the the
Have you got your trouble sorted out the airport yet
or the airports?

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Ah's still a bit of a backlog on that one.
What we do know about that cyber attack, which was
what late Friday evening Europe time caused enormous disruption. It was,
you know, particularly at targeting the check in and boarding
systems used by Colin's Aerospace. In some ways, yes, Mike,
you know, there is this annoyance that these major airports,

(02:15):
what was it? Heathrow, Brussels and Villain were affected by it.
But at the same time, there's a lot of relief
that it was only those three airports that were affected
by this, that the contagion didn't happen looking at it.
Colin's Aerospace operates the software systems in about one hundred
and fifty airports worldwide, so you know a lot of

(02:35):
patting on the back that perhaps they did move quickly
they affected.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
But the other.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Problem is, of course you know what caused it. Was
it with single identity that did the cyber attack? Was it,
you know, a state actor and or was it something
more simple like a compromised update? But the big problem again,
you know, we all rely on airports, we all like
to get away, and essentially it means that we're seeing

(03:00):
the fragility of these types of big critical infrastructure.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Ain't that the truth? So in New York Security Council
is going to have a meeting about Estoni or Russia,
et cetera. NATO's going to have a meeting, so many meetings, Catherine,
does anything actually get done.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
We're now at that moment where we've had what three
incursions in two weeks into NATO territory. Yeah, big meeting
at NATO Tuesday, that's been called by Estonia, which, of course,
last Friday morning three mid thirty one Russian fighter jets
entered into their airspace, stayed there for about twelve minutes.

(03:38):
Not long after that, there were two Russian fighter jets
over Polish economic zone in the ball Tech all. You know,
everyone's realizing that this is probing NATO's resolve. We've had
a lot of statements in the last couple of hours, Mike,
from the Polls and also from the Brits saying this
has got to stop. There will come a point of

(03:59):
which there will be a response. That response is what's
on everyone's minds. What response would there be? We saw
last week Italian F thirty five jets going up to
escort those Russian fighter jets out of Estonian airspace. What
more would there be? That's the way everyone's holding their breath.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Brack, Yeah, nice to talk to him for catch ups.
So catsine Field and France, by the way, Europe split
as regards the UN and what we're standing by with
so much excitement from Winston on Saturday morning, how much
of your Saturday morning are you canceling by the way,
just this coming weekend? Do you want to take in
Winston Peter's live? Do you want to have a replay
once he's given a speech? Would you not go to

(04:40):
school sport or weekend sport if you normally go to
the supermarket on set? Are going to delay that so
you can hear Winston's I think we definitely watch it
live recorded, so you can just put it on repeat
for the weekend. Yeah, because of your short on sport,
surely that covers you off. I mean, it'd be a
sort of a moon landing kind of a moment, won't
it be? Pretty close? Has been blamed for stalling the

(05:01):
formal pledge on the climate and so, in other words,
Italy and Poland they don't want deeper cuts, so they
haven't got any cuts. They were sort of talking about
sixty six point twenty five percent between that and seventy
two point five percent, which is dangerously close to where
Australia landed the other day. In other words, they don't know,
and so none of it's going to come to pass.
And the whole thing's just a lot of hot air

(05:22):
and a lot of meetings and nothing changes for more.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
From the Mic Asking Breakfast.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
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