Netanyahu says Macron’s call for arms embargo is ‘a disgrace’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his request to stop arms deliveries to Israel intended for use in Gaza.
Macron stated on France Inter radio that “the priority is to return to a political solution and to cease the delivery of weapons for the fight in Gaza.”
During a summit in Paris on Saturday, the French president expressed his worries about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, despite calls for a ceasefire, and he also condemned Israel’s decision to deploy ground troops in Lebanon.
In response, Netanyahu declared, “Shame on them,” referring to Macron and other Western leaders advocating for what he characterized as an arms embargo against Israel.
Speaking at the at the 19th Francophonie Summit at the Grand Palais 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 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
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”.
In an interview with the French broadcaster, which was recorded on Tuesday and aired on Saturday, Macron 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”.