French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza, prompting swift criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Macron told France Inter radio that “the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza”.
At a summit in Paris on Saturday, the French president reiterated his concern over the conflict in Gaza continuing despite ceasefire calls, and he also criticised Israel’s decision to send ground troops into Lebanon.
Netanyahu pushed back: “Shame on them,” referring to Macron and other Western leaders who have called for what he described as an arms embargo on Israel.
In a video released by his office, Netanyahu said “Israel will win with or without their support”, adding that calling for an arms embargo was “a disgrace”.
Macron, in an interview with the French broadcaster which was recorded on Tuesday and aired on Saturday, said “France is not delivering any” weapons to Israel.
He added: “I think we are not being heard.”
“I think it is a mistake, including for the security of Israel,” he said, adding that the conflict was leading to “hatred”.
Macron also said that avoiding an escalation in Lebanon was a “priority” and that “Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza”.
Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that any country that did not stand with Israel was supporting Iran and its allies and proxies.
Netanyahu said: “As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side.
“Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them.”
Macron’s office later said that France is a “steadfast friend of Israel”, adding that Netanyahu’s reaction was “excessive and detached from the friendship between France and Israel”.
Speaking in Paris on Saturday, Macron said that while both the US and France had called for a ceasefire in Lebanon, he added: “I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice, has taken this responsibility, in particular, for ground operations on Lebanese soil.”
However, Macron reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defence and said that he would be meeting relatives of Franco-Israelis held hostage in Gaza on Monday.
Monday will mark the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage. More than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
