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French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has stepped down just weeks after taking office. The French Presidency said in a statement on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Lecornu's resignation. Lecornu, appointed on September 9, faced strong criticism from opposition parties and right-wing politicians after unveiling part of his new Cabinet on Sunday evening. He was due to present his government's general policy statement before the National Assembly on Tuesday. The two previous governments, led by Michel Barnier and Francois Bayrou, fell after parliamentary votes of no confidence over their proposed austerity budgets. France has been experiencing a prolonged political crisis since President Macron called early legislative elections last year in an effort to consolidate his authority. However, the move resulted in a deeply divided parliament, split among three rival blocs.

The French presidency announced Friday that 10 countries, including France, will recognize the State of Palestine during a conference to be held in New York next Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a speech at the conference, officially announcing the recognition of the Palestinian state.These countries are France, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino.On the other hand, the French presidency warned that the Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank is a "clear red line" and would be "the worst violation of international law."The French presidency said in a statement: "We, along with our partners, will demand immediate measures from Israel to ensure that the Palestinian Authority does not collapse," explaining that "the future borders of the Palestinian state are the 1967 borders."It added, "Our agenda is positive. It is not an agenda of responses and counter-responses. We are making an effort for peace." However, "annexing the West Bank is a clear red line" for France and would be "the worst possible violation of UN resolutions."The French presidency added, "The most important thing is to take all possible measures today to maintain the two-state solution. Of course, annexing the West Bank would be one of the steps that would most threaten this."