France’s president has spoken out in favor of stopping the supply of weapons to Israel. The Gaza war can only be ended politically. This caused anger among Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Now Macron is trying to sound conciliatory.
First, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a stop to arms deliveries to Israel for the war in Gaza, now he is trying to adopt a more conciliatory tone. Macron’s office assured that France would not allow Iran or any of the country’s proxies to attack Israel.
As the French television station BFMTV reported after the Macron interview, citing the presidential palace, France will continue to supply Israel with defense equipment, especially for missile defense.
Netanyahu calls Macron’s demand a “disgrace”
The background to the assurance is an interview by the French President with the radio station France Inter. In it he spoke out in favor of no longer supplying weapons to Israel for use in Gaza. Instead, a political solution to the conflict must be sought.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with sharp criticism. In a video message on Platform “
Élysée: France remains Israel’s more unshakable Friend.
The presidential palace now made it clear: France remains Israel’s steadfast friend. We regret Netanyahu’s “exaggerated” words.
At the same time, Macron underlined his assessment that there is an urgent need to prevent escalation in the region. This includes an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
In this context, the President has called for an end to arms exports to Israel that are intended for use in the Gaza Strip, the presidential palace confirmed.
Telephone call between Macron and Netanyahu
Meanwhile, Macron and Netanyahu spoke on the phone. According to his office, the Israeli prime minister emphasized in the conversation that an arms embargo would primarily benefit Iran and its allies. Israel’s action against Hezbollah is an opportunity “to change the reality in Lebanon and thus ensure greater stability, security and peace in the entire region,” said Netanyahu.
France is not one of Israel’s most important arms suppliers. Last year, the country delivered military equipment worth 30 million euros, according to the Defense Ministry’s annual arms export report.