Op-Ed: Irit Tratt: Emmanuel Macron’s surrender to Islamism is a five-alarm warning to the West

Canada and the UK have jumped aboard the bandwagon of U.S. allies planning to recognize a Palestinian state. France, however, is driving the wagon. The West is at a crossroads, and France offers a grim preview of what lies ahead when mass immigration, political cowardice, and radical Islam converge.

French President Emmanuel Macron, once hailed as Europe’s political wunderkind, is now facing a collapse of public confidence at home and increasing irrelevance abroad. His popularity is at a record low since taking office in 2017. The country’s economic outlook is equally dire, with low consumer confidence and a trade deficit contributing to the national statistics agency projecting GDP growth of just 0.6 percent or less in 2025.

But the real story isn’t economic stagnation. It’s cultural unraveling.

France is undergoing a profound demographic transformation. The influx of millions of migrants from Africa and other parts of Europe is stripping the Western European country of its cultural particularities and transforming it into a nation where leaders cave to the interests of a growing and emboldened Muslim population.

This dynamic was on full display earlier this month when Macron announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state. To be sure, this move was not rooted in a coherent foreign policy vision. Rather, it was a carefully curated ploy to bolster his popularity with a critical and influential Muslim constituency.

Shortly after, France partnered with Saudi Arabia to co-chair a two-day conference at the United Nations on “the two-state solution.” The summit, however, was boycotted by the United States and Israel, and failed to attract global heavyweights. Most countries sent only midlevel officials, highlighting the international community’s tepid response to Macron’s maneuver.

But this cynical ploy speaks to a deeper political reality. France is estimated to have the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, with over 6 million Muslims residing within its borders. By 2050, that number is projected to reach nearly 20 percent of the French population.

The transformation that is occurring is visible and not infrequently violent. During his presidential tenure, Macron has presided over France’s rise as Western Europe’s leader in jihadi activity.

A study by the Gatestone Institute found that, beginning with the 2006 kidnapping, torture, and murder of Ilan Halimi, every Jew murdered in France since then has been killed by a Muslim. The study also identified at least 751 so-called “sensitive urban zones” across the country, where control has effectively fallen into the hands of Muslim gangs and radical imams.

Over the last several years, the country’s capital, Paris, has repeatedly descended into chaos as some Muslim migrants have turned what should amount to moments of jubilation into opportunities to generate civil unrest.

This is France’s problem, but it’s also the West’s warning.

With UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer now declaring his intention to recognize a Palestinian state, momentum in Europe is building. Yes, this is driven by political expediency and a false sense of righteousness. Yet this shift must be recognized as extraordinarily dangerous.

Fortunately, the courageous new immigration restrictions implemented by the Trump administration have helped prevent America’s foreign policy from drifting toward Europe’s obsessive focus on targeting the Jewish state.

Macron’s actions serve as a vivid cautionary tale of what occurs when open borders collide with weak leaders. It’s not unreasonable to assume that one day, with the far-left sensibilities dominating the American left, a future U.S. president would be compelled to bow to a radical Islamist agenda.

A President Kamala Harris would have likely set America on track to meet a fate similar to France. A President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez almost certainly would.

With Trump at the helm of reshaping our immigration system, America is, at least for the foreseeable future, equipped to blunt the flood of unsavory foreign actors. But make no mistake, the Democratic Party is filled with Macron-like figures, individuals who crave attention and are desperate to consolidate power by aligning with forces intent on unraveling the Western ethos.

Elections have consequences. France is paying the price. America doesn’t have to.

Irit Tratt is a writer and was Co-chair of the Trump47 National Women’s Leadership Coalition. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt.