[1/3]French President Emmanuel Macron (left) shakes hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Israel to show France’s solidarity with the country and to advocate for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. … Acquire license rights Read more
- Macron visits Israel and later travels to Jordan
- Suggests that a coalition against the Islamic State fight Hamas
JERUSALEM, Oct 24 (Portal) – French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Tuesday expanding an international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to include the fight against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza to include.
Macron gave no details on how the US-led coalition of dozens of countries, which does not include Israel, might be involved.
In a speech alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Macron stressed that France and Israel had terrorism as their “common enemy.”
“France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh, in which we are participating for operations in Iraq and Syria, to also fight against Hamas,” he told reporters, referring to the Islamic State.
Macron, warning of the risks of a regional conflict, also said the fight against Hamas must be “without mercy, but not without rules.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment directly on Macron’s proposal, but said the fight was a battle between the “axis of evil” and the “free world.”
“This fight is not just our own, but everyone’s fight,” he said.
The US-led coalition to combat the Islamic State was formed in September 2014.
Macron’s office said the idea was to draw inspiration from the coalition and that France was ready to discuss with Israel and its partners what might be relevant against Hamas.
“The international coalition against Daesh is not limited to operations on the ground, but is also committed to training Iraqi forces, sharing information between partners and combating the financing of terrorism,” it said.
Hamas militants killed 30 French citizens in their attack on southern Israel on October 7. More than 200 people were arrested and 1,400 people were killed. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 5,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since then.
The French president, meeting families of French victims at Tel Aviv airport, said the release of nine French hostages was a priority for France.
He was scheduled to meet regional leaders in the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday. Mahmoud Abbas’ office said Macron would also meet the Palestinian leader in Ramallah in the West Bank.
Macron’s visit comes after EU foreign ministers struggled on Monday to agree on a call for a “humanitarian pause” in the war.
Additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Michael Georgy; Writing by Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander in Paris; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Mike Harrison, Robert Birsel and Alison Williams
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