Albanese Talks Gaza in Call With Macron, Will Meet During UN Summit

Albanese discussed Gaza, climate and trade with the French president.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the army leaders at the Hotel le Brienne ahead of the Bastille Day parade in Paris on July 13, 2025. Ludovic Marin, Pool Photo via AP

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, where the two discussed Gaza, climate, and trade.

The two also reportedly agreed to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming U.N. summit.

According to an official readout, Albanese and Macron discussed Gaza and “their ongoing commitment to getting aid to civilians” as well as their backing of a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza.

Macron recently gave official recognition to a Palestinian state—something that the Australian government has said it will do at some stage but not while terror group Hamas is at the helm.

France has also sanctioned Israel over its war with Hamas, while Australia has not.

In response to pressure to impose sanctions on Israel, Albanese stated in May that “we follow our own path,” in which he repeated calls for Hamas to release Israeli civilian hostages and for the war to end.

Labor has maintained its position to support a two-state solution but has expressed caution over recognising a Palestinian state while Hamas has power.

“We won’t do any decision as a gesture,” he told ABC Insiders.

“We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, on the other hand, has expressed his support, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also urged the move sooner rather than later.

Albanese will meet with Macron at the U.N. General Assembly in September.

The two are expected to discuss climate mitigation initiatives and also work on finalising the Australia-EU free trade agreement.

It remains unclear whether Macron will seek to encourage Australia to recognise a Palestinian state when he meets with Albanese.

In late July, Wong signed a joint statement with France and a raft of other nations expressing commitment to either recognising a Palestinian state or moving towards it ahead of the U.N. summit.

The statement opened with condemning the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of around 50 remaining Israeli hostages who have been kept in Gaza since that time.

Albanese has sought counsel with a number of international leaders lately, including requesting a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days and conducting his fourth in-person meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in July.

The leader also took a call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who urged Albanese to declare a Palestinian state.

But Albanese has yet to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump since he came to office.