ALBAWABA - Following French President Emmanuel Macron's statements warning that the West's reputation would be damaged if it left Gaza, tensions between Israel and France increased on Friday. In response, Macron was accused by the Israeli Foreign Ministry of starting a "crusade against the Jewish state."
Israel's Foreign Ministry disputed Macron's worries in a statement on X (previously Twitter), saying that "no blockade is preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza" and calling Macron's remarks "outright lies." Israel is facilitating humanitarian aid through two parallel efforts, it stressed: the new Gaza Humanitarian Aid Fund, which has already distributed 2 million meals and tens of thousands of aid packages, and the arrival of about 900 aid trucks into Gaza this week, hundreds of which are reportedly still awaiting UN distribution.
Macron said that acknowledging a Palestinian state is not just a humanitarian obligation but also a political imperative during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore. The humanitarian embargo in the enclave is creating an untenable situation on the ground, he said, warning that "the West risks losing its credibility if it allows Israel to do whatever it wants in Gaza."
Israel responded by accusing Macron of awarding "jihadist terrorists" with a Palestinian state and mockingly stating that October 7, the day of the 2023 assault on Israel by Hamas, would be its national holiday. Macron came under fire from the government for thinking about imposing penalties on Israeli settlements at a time when the nation is "under attack on multiple fronts."
The far-right Macron was also criticized by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who referred to him as a "useful idiot for Islamic terrorism." "Your flattery of Hamas will not end with a light slap upon exiting the plane—even a helmet won't help," Ben-Gvir said in a sarcastic French-language post on X, referencing a widely shared episode between Macron and his mother. "Islamic terrorism will explode in the faces of all French citizens," he said.
Macron reaffirmed his optimism that the Israeli government would change its mind and provide a humanitarian response in the near future, despite the harsh language. He also said that France is thinking about imposing penalties on extreme settlements if the situation worsens.
