Israel accuses France's Macron of 'crusade against the Jewish state'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron at joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct 24, 2023. (Photo: Pool via REUTERS/Christophe Ena)
"There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement, defending its efforts to allow in aid.
"But instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state. No doubt its national day will be October 7," it added, alluding to the date of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
Israel last week partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on supplies entering Gaza, which is enduring severe shortages of food and medicines even as truckloads of humanitarian assistance have begun to trickle in.
Macron, meanwhile, has stepped up his statements of support for the Palestinians of late.
On Friday he said European countries should "harden the collective position" against Israel if it did not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including keeping open the possibility of sanctions.
"If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility," Macron told a top defence forum in Singapore.
He also called the recognition of a Palestinian state, with some conditions, "not only a moral duty, but a political necessity".
France is co-hosting with Saudi Arabia an international conference at the UN in New York meant to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an outcome the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes.
In its statement Friday, the Israeli foreign ministry said: "Hamas, for its part, has already praised Macron's statements. Hamas knows why."
