Netanyahu Condemns Macron Over UNGA West Bank Remarks
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned French President Emmanuel Macron after the French leader criticized Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank during an address to the...
- During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Israeli actions in the West Bank and questioned the human cost...
- The response from the Israeli government was swift and severe.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned French President Emmanuel Macron after the French leader criticized Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank during an address to the United Nations General Assembly. The exchange escalated diplomatic tensions as Netanyahu’s office labeled the French remarks a grotesque absurdity, pointing to frequent militant attacks against Israelis in the territory.
UN General Assembly Address and Macron’s West Bank Remarks
During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Israeli actions in the West Bank and questioned the human cost of ongoing conflict. According to the UN’s interpreter, Macron said: Look at what’s happening in the West Bank, where day in, day out, we are seeing violations. And in the name of what? Hamas was never very active in the West Bank. Macron also used his UN address to challenge United States President Donald Trump’s assertion that he had ended the war in the Gaza Strip. Pointing to continuing violence and dire humanitarian conditions despite an October ceasefire, Macron asked: Are we simply to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?
Israeli Government and US Reactions
The response from the Israeli government was swift and severe. According to a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron’s statement is staggering. Netanyahu’s office argued that Macron’s characterization ignored daily security realities on the ground, emphasizing that Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day. The statement highlighted the killing of 36-year-old Netanel Shukrun, a father of six and French citizen who was shot dead in his car on Sunday, on the eve of Yom Kippur. Israeli police stated the shooting occurred near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, and that the suspect was later arrested at a hospital in Ramallah. Hamas praised the attack but did not say it was behind it. United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee similarly denounced Macron’s remarks, describing them as out of touch with reality.
Diplomatic Clarification and Broader Regional Context
Following the backlash, a French diplomatic source told the Jerusalem Post that the remarks had been misinterpreted. The source clarified that the French phrase spoken by the president, Le Hamas n’a jamais sévi en Cisjordanie, was intended to mean that Hamas has never governed the West Bank. Relations between Netanyahu and Macron have faced mounting friction over Palestinian statehood and trade policies. Macron led a push by Western nations at last year’s UN General Assembly to recognise a Palestinian state, and France recently joined Britain in imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
