In a missive to the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saturday, demanded an end to arms shipments to Israel that it is using in the war in Gaza, noting that France is not giving Israel military assistance, The Hill reported.
“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron said in a French-language interview while attending the Francophonie Summit in Paris. With the one-year anniversary of the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas only a day away, Israel continues to wage war in Gaza as it uses airstrikes to pummel Hezbollah in Beirut and considers a response to an Iranian missile attack last week.
Macron said the priority for Western leaders needs to be the containment of the war before it escalates into a wider conflict and he also called for the fighting to stop. “An immediate ceasefire is essential in Gaza as in Lebanon. We must avoid the escalation of tensions, protect civilian populations, free the hostages and find political solutions necessary for the security of Israel and all,” he wrote in a post on X.
“Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza,” he added, according to Politico, alluding to sporadic Israeli air and ground offenses there. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he does not support an attack by Israel on Iran’s nuclear sites while former President Donald Trump said the Biden-Harris administration is showing “no leadership” on Israel’s future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted with anger and disbelief in an X post over Macron’s declaration and outlined why he thinks Western nations need to continue to support Israel in its fight.
“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side. Yet, President Macron and some other Western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said, as he noted how many enemies that Israel is now facing on seven military fronts.
"Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. The axis of terror stands together, but countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel."
Netanyahu called this “arms embargo” “a "disgrace," saying that Israel would win "with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won."
Macron reportedly reacted to Netanyahu’s condemnation by claiming France remains a “steadfast friend of Israel” but said Netanyahu’s searing remarks were “excessive and unrelated to the friendship between France and Israel,” according to the Times of Israel.
The US has been a staunch defender and provider of military aid to Israel since the formation of the Israeli state in 1948. Annual payments to Israel have been between $3 billion and $4 billion since the 1970s. In August, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would provide about $20 billion in defense assistance to Israel.
