Israel’s military offensive in Gaza could lead to disaster, permanent war, says French President Emmanuel Macron

“The military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war,” Macron stated.

Ending conflict in Gaza

The three leaders acknowledged that only a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance, the disarmament of Hamas, and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority can bring an end to the conflict.

To achieve this, Macron said France, together with Egypt, Jordan, and other regional partners, will have to deploy an international stabilisation mission for Gaza and work towards a political solution that fulfills the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Push for two-state solution

He also reiterated France’s commitment to co-chairing a conference along with Saudi Arabia in New York in September on the two-state solution.

“This is the only credible way forward—for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike. No to war. Yes to peace and security for all,” he said.

In July, France and Saudi Arabia had agreed to revive the push for a two-state solution at a UN conference in New York in September. Macron also announced that he would formally recognise the State of Palestine in September.

Netanyahu vs Macron

The announcement, however, did not go down well in Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a letter written earlier this week, accused Macron of fuelling anti-semitism.

“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this anti-semitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,” Netanyahu wrote in a strongly worded letter.

Responding to Netanyahu’s letter, Macron’s office, in a statement on Tuesday, said the accusations were “erroneous, abject, and will not go unanswered”.

“Violence against the Jewish community is unacceptable,” the statement added.

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