French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to lead a large-scale initiative in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, under which Britain and Canada would also declare recognition of a Palestinian state. This was reported by Reuters news agency from three diplomats familiar with the details, who noted that "Britain and Canada refused to join for fear of confrontation with the United States." When Macron was refused, he decided to take this step alone. A French diplomat clarified that Paris will try to recruit additional countries to recognize a Palestinian state before the UN conference in September, where Macron intends to deliver the official declaration.