by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that France will help the Palestinian Authority (PA) draft a constitution for a future Palestinian state—an initiative unveiled after talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas at the Élysée Palace.
Against that backdrop, Macron’s plan to assist the PA with drafting a new constitution has drawn both international attention and skepticism. “We will establish a joint committee with the Palestinian Authority to work on all legal aspects—constitutional, institutional, and organizational,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Abbas. He added that Abbas presented him with an initial draft of the prospective Palestinian constitution.
France, which led a group of European nations in recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, said the move was driven by frustration over Israel’s opposition to Palestinian statehood and the ongoing war in Gaza. Macron also announced €100 million ($116 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza in 2025 and warned that any Israeli annexation plans in the West Bank would cross a “red line.”
“Plans for partial or total annexation, whether legal or de facto, constitute a red line to which we will respond strongly with our European partners,” Macron said. He condemned “settler violence and the acceleration of settlement projects,” calling them violations of international law that “threaten the stability of the West Bank.”
However, the meeting came amid renewed controversy over the PA’s financial practices. Ahead of the Paris meeting, French officials confronted Abbas regarding illicit payments Ramallah made to Palestinian security prisoners—an apparent continuation of the “pay-to-slay” scheme that has long rewarded terrorists and their families based on the length of their prison sentences.
The announcement comes just weeks after Worthy News reported on October 27 that the latest Gaza ceasefire deal “turned terrorists into millionaires.” That investigation revealed how 160 Palestinian terrorists—each enriched through years of “pay-for-slay” stipends from the PA—were released from Israeli prisons under the U.S.-brokered Gaza agreement. Many of the convicted killers, responsible for murdering Israelis, walked free not only unrepentant but wealthy and celebrated as heroes. As these 160 “terrorist millionaires” enjoy newfound freedom while Israeli hostages remain unreturned, many in Israel question whether peace is possible when one side profits from murder.
In response, Abbas dismissed his finance minister, Omar Bitar, for authorizing such payments and promised reforms. Macron told reporters that Abbas had committed to launching an independent audit by an American company to verify that the pay-for-slay system is being dismantled.
Abbas insisted that his administration is pursuing reforms and preparing for elections “after the end of the war.” “We are nearing completion of a draft of the provisional constitution of the state of Palestine and the laws on elections and political parties,” Abbas said. “We are committed to a culture of dialogue and peace. We want a democratic, unarmed state committed to the rule of law, transparency, justice, pluralism, and the rotation of power.”
In September, Macron conditioned France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood on several commitments: the disarmament of Hamas, its exclusion from any future government, and a full overhaul of the PA’s governance system. Israel, however, has denounced France and other nations for “rewarding Hamas,” insisting that the PA should not play any role in governing postwar Gaza.
Meanwhile, in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank) has seen a surge in settler-related violence since early October, coinciding with the annual olive harvest. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 264 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage last month alone.
Macron’s initiative, while framed as a step toward peace, underscores the deep divides in international policy over the Palestinian issue. As Israel struggles with the moral and security fallout from releasing “terrorist millionaires” and the PA faces scrutiny over corruption and incitement, France’s attempt to lay the legal groundwork for a Palestinian state raises difficult questions about justice, legitimacy, and the true path to peace.
Prophetic Concerns Raised
The renewed French-led push to establish a Palestinian state — including drafting a new constitution for that state — has stirred deep concern among biblical prophecy teachers and evangelical Christian leaders who interpret these developments through the prophetic lens of Scripture.
Many point to Joel 3:2, where the Lord declares judgment upon the nations “for dividing up My land.” For prophecy scholars, the language of international recognition and territorial division carries profound spiritual implications, as they see these moves as aligning with end-time prophecies regarding the nations’ role in Israel’s future.
“While the land is covenanted with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — it does not mean that God doesn’t have a part to play with the Sons of Ishmael,” said George Whitten, founder of Worthy Ministries, offering a nuanced biblical perspective on the theological and prophetic dimensions surrounding the Middle East conflict.
Whitten explained that Islam, in its current form, is hindering the very blessings that God promised to Abraham’s son Ishmael in Genesis 17:20: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
“God’s promise to Ishmael was remarkably specific and generous,” Whitten noted. “The twelve princes mentioned in Genesis 25:12–16 — Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah — became the patriarchs of the Arab peoples. This was a divine blessing of multiplication, prosperity, and influence that God Himself initiated out of His compassion for Hagar and her son.”
Yet, Whitten cautioned, this divine promise stands in tension with certain Islamic theological positions that contradict the Abrahamic covenant principle found in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.”
“The challenge we face is that traditional Islamic teaching includes antagonism toward both Christians and Jews, which places adherents in direct conflict with God’s blessing principle,” Whitten said. “When a religious system teaches its followers to curse those whom God has called to bless, it creates a spiritual barrier to receiving the fullness of what God intended for Ishmael’s descendants.”
Despite these tensions, Whitten underscored that believers must remain committed to peace and reconciliation. “As ministers of reconciliation, according to 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, we are called to bring genuine, lasting peace to the Middle East,” he stated. “But we must be clear-eyed about the reality: this can only be accomplished through the Prince of Peace, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) — not through political resolutions, international agreements, or land divisions imposed by secular authorities.”
Whitten concluded that while diplomacy has its role, no political process can replace the need for spiritual restoration rooted in God’s covenant promises. “True peace in the region will only come when hearts are transformed — when both Jew and Arab come to know the Redeemer who alone can reconcile the children of Isaac and Ishmael.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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