Israel strongly criticizes Emmanuel Macron's comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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Emmanuel Macron's statements to the UN on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict angered Israel, which described them as "grotesque absurdity", while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Hamas attacks in the West Bank and mentioned the death of a Franco-Israeli settler.
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Why It Matters
Emmanuel Macron criticized Israeli actions in the West Bank during his speech to the UN, saying that Hamas was not active in this territory where the Palestinian Authority is based, which provoked a strong reaction from Israel.
Relations between Israel and France are not improving. Emmanuel Macron's statements on Tuesday on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his speech at the UN indeed provoked the ire of the Jewish state.
Comments of “grotesque absurdity”, according to Israel
Israel reacted strongly to the comments of the tenant of the Élysée, who criticized Israeli actions in the West Bank by affirming that Hamas was not active in this territory where the Palestinian Authority is based.
“The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron’s remarks is staggering,” declared the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to give a speech to the international body on Thursday. “Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
Benjamin Netanyahu's office cited the shooting death on Sunday, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, of an Israeli settler in the West Bank, father of six children and who also had French nationality. The Israeli army said it arrested the Palestinian gunman at a hospital and that soldiers then raided his village. A minister in Netanyahu's government called for his execution under a new law.
Extremist Israeli settlers frequently attack Palestinians in the West Bank. According to the United Nations, around six settler-related violent incidents targeting Palestinians or their property are recorded every day until mid-2026.
Macron deplores the humanitarian situation in Gaza
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Emmanuel Macron deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack on October 7, 2023, the deadliest ever against Israel, as well as Israel's actions in the West Bank. “What is our credibility if we continue to remain inactive against Gaza? “, he said. He deplored seeing in Gaza a “spectacle that shames us all”, reaffirming that building a two-state solution was the condition for “the security of today and tomorrow for Israel and its people”.
Our file on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Benyamin Netanyahu maintains poor relations with Emmanuel Macron, who last year, during the UN General Assembly, led an initiative by Western countries aimed at recognizing a Palestinian state.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Israel will maintain its security posture in the West Bank despite international criticism
Very likely · Within weeks
France will continue to call for a two-state solution to resolve the conflict
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What will be the diplomatic consequences of this crisis between Israel and France?
- Will the Israeli government continue to execute the Palestinian shooter arrested under the new law?
- How will the humanitarian situation in Gaza evolve in the face of Macron's statements?
