Macron, in his speech to the United Nations, deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza – from which Hamas led the Oct 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest ever against Israel – as well as actions by Israel in the West Bank.
“What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza? Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. It is a spectacle that shames us all,” Macron said.
“Look at what is happening in West Bank, where there are violations every day. In the name of what? Hamas has never struck in the West Bank. This every day makes it more impossible to achieve respect for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to exist.”
The Palestinian Authority, led by Hamas’s rivals, have semi-autonomy in major urban areas of the West Bank, with Israel controlling most of the territory.
Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, two years after Israel pulled out and dismantled settlements.
Netanyahu has poor relations with Macron, who led a push by Western nations at last year’s UN General Assembly to recognise a Palestinian state.
France recently joined Britain in imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, again angering the Israeli government.
