French President Emmanuel Macron toughened his tone toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, calling on him to end military operations in Gaza and have the “courage” to offer his country a “future of peace.”
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During a telephone interview with the Israeli leader, the French leader stressed that Israeli operations in Gaza “must stop” because “the number of lives and the humanitarian situation” are “unbearable,” the Elysée reported.
The war in Gaza was sparked by the October 7 attack by commandos of the Islamist Hamas movement in southern Israel, which killed more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas, which it, along with the United States and the European Union, considers a terrorist organization, and launched an offensive that killed 28,576 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Islamist movement's health ministry the vast majority of them civilians.
Emmanuel Macron also expressed “France's strong opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, which could only lead to a humanitarian catastrophe of new proportions, as well as to any forced displacement of the population, which constitutes a violation of the law of the international humanitarian organization and a “would pose a danger.” additional risk of regional escalation.
In early February, Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare an offensive on Rafah, where the United Nations says 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking refuge, the vast majority of people displaced by the war and stuck at the closed border with Egypt.
He also assured that Israel would open “a safe passage” for the population to leave Rafah, without saying where, raising fears of an exodus from Gaza.
hostages
Emmanuel Macron stressed “the utmost urgency to conclude, without further delay, a ceasefire agreement that will finally guarantee the protection of all civilians and the massive response to relief emergencies.”
He recalled that “the liberation of all hostages, including our three compatriots, was an absolute priority for France,” while talks in this direction and for a ceasefire continue.
The French leader described as “unjustified” what he said was a lack of humanitarian access to a “population in absolute humanitarian emergency” and considered it “absolutely necessary to open the port of Ashdod, a direct land route from Jordan.” and “all border crossings” to provide assistance.
The French president also reiterated France's “condemnation” of “Israeli's colonization policy” and called for the dismantling of outposts. He called for “any action that could lead to uncontrolled escalation in Jerusalem and the West Bank” to be avoided.
He also called on “the Prime Minister and all Israeli leaders to have the courage to offer their fellow citizens a future in peace” that “only the two-state solution” and thus the “creation of a Palestinian state” is possible .
The Israeli government refuses to discuss a “two-state solution” and Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly reiterated his rejection of “Palestinian sovereignty”.
Emmanuel Macron reiterated “the importance of preventing a conflagration in the region, especially in Lebanon and the Red Sea,” where the situation is extremely tense.
Following a rocket attack that killed a soldier, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least four people, according to Lebanese media.