French Senate wants Palestinian state recognized

France’s Senate has narrowly approved a resolution asking the government to recognize a Palestinian state, in hopes that could be a tool in negotiations for lasting Mideast peace. Legislators and officials around Europe are increasingly pushing for two states, disappointed with stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. French senators voted 154-146 Thursday in favor of a non-binding resolution “inviting” the French government to recognize Palestine. The lower house of France’s Parliament adopted a similar measure last week but by a much larger margin. The French government supports a two-state solution but says it’s too early for outright recognition, as some senators argued. France, a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council, is trying to tamp out rising anti-Semitism at home and to maintain good relations with Israel and Arab governments.   Al Arabiya