The Israeli prime minister has rebuked the French president over his move to recognize Palestinian statehood
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of stoking anti-Semitism by moving to recognize the state of Palestine. The Elysee Palace has said that the allegations “will not go unanswered.”
Anti-Semitism in France “surged” after last month’s announcement, Netanyahu claimed in a letter to the French president, published by AFP on Tuesday.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this anti-Semitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement,” the Israeli leader reportedly wrote. “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 also demanded that Macron confront anti-Semitism in France, “replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23.”
The Elysee has responded by calling the allegations “conflation and manipulation,” arguing that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens.” Netanyahu’s “erroneous” accusation “will not go unanswered,” Macron’s office said in a statement cited by France24.
On Wednesday, the French president condemned Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City, warning on X that the offensive “can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war.” He called for a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and large-scale aid deliveries to Gaza.
Israel has been facing mounting international pressure over the conflict, which has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians to date, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Israel has also faced increasingly severe criticism over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as accusations of impeding the flow of aid. It has denied the allegations, blaming the disruptions on Hamas.
The UN warned on Tuesday that the flow of aid currently allowed into Gaza by Israeli authorities is “far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation.”
