Sarkozy: Vote 'No' on Palestinian state recognition on December 2

The former French president says it is not right to recognize a Palestinian state without negotiations and right after a terror attack.

The former French president, implored members of his UMP party to vote against the upcoming December 2 vote in France's Parliament to decide whether or not to recognize a Palestinian state.

"I ask my friends to vote against [the resolution]," he said, going on to refer to the terror attack in a Jerusalem on November 18 in which five people were killed by Palestinian as a reason to vote against the proposition.

"I will fight for the Palestinians to have their state. But unilateral recognition a few days after a deadly attack and when there is no peace process? No!"

Sarkozy said that he would never question Israel's need for security and said that "this is the fight of my life."

Israeli officials said that this vote, unlike those held recently in other European parliaments, is likely to come up against a substantial minority voting against. Israel’s representatives in Paris have been working with both the government and opposition parties to mobilize opposition to the resolution.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the French parliament would be making a “grave mistake” with recognition.

“Do they have nothing better to do at a time of beheadings across the Middle East, including that of a French citizen?” he said. “The State of Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people, the only state that we have, and the Palestinians demanding a state do not want to recognize the right to have a state for the Jewish people.”

Herb Keinon contributed to this report.