Already last month, the French President was criticized in Israel when he said in an interview with the BBC that ‘’Israel must stop killing babies and women in Gaza,’’ adding that ‘’there was no justification” for the bombing and that ‘’a ceasefire would benefit Israel.”
‘’Fighting terrorism does not mean razing everything to the ground in Gaza,’’ French President Emmanuel Macron declared.
“As the weeks go by, we cannot allow the idea to take root that fighting terrorism effectively would mean razing everything in Gaza or indiscriminately attacking civilian populations and causing civilian casualties,” he said on Wednesday in an interview on France 5 television channel. ‘’
‘’That’s why, while recognizing Israel’s right to protect itself while fighting terrorism, we demand the protection of these people and a truce leading to a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds,” he added.
The French president called on the Israelis to “stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are equal and we defend them”.
The French leader defended France’s “coherent” and “just” response, while acknowledging that it “does not please either side”. “I believe it corresponds to our diplomatic history”, as well as “our values (and) our interests”.
Already last month, President Macron was criticized when he said in an interview with the BBC that ‘’Israel must stop killing babies and women in Gaza,’’ adding that ‘’there was no justification” for the bombing and that ‘’a ceasefire would benefit Israel.”
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu curtly rebuked the French head of state for his remarks, Macron called Israeli President Isaac Herzog ”to assure him that he was not accusing Israel of intentionally harming civilians.”
Israel has repeatedly said that it attacks military targets in line with international law and takes steps to reduce civilian casualties, like issuing warnings ahead of strikes and calling on people to evacuate.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, Emmanuel Macron has been applying a strategy of “at the same time”, which is proving hard to convince, both on the international scene and at home, wrote le Journal du Dimanche.
The President’s absence from the march against anti-Semitism provoked fierce criticism. Questioned by the great-granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus, Macron explained that his role was not to demonstrate, but to “build the unity of the country”.