Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized French President Emmanuel Macron over his call to stop arms shipments to Israel for use in Gaza.
Macron told France Inter radio, “The priority is to return to a political solution, and to stop delivering weapons to the fighting in Gaza.”
At a summit held in Paris on Saturday, the French President reiterated his concern about the continuation of the conflict in Gaza despite calls for a ceasefire, and also criticized Israel’s decision to cease fire. Sending ground forces to Lebanon.
Netanyahu responded, saying: “Shame on them,” referring to Macron and other Western leaders who called for what he described as an arms embargo on Israel.
In a video clip published by his office, Netanyahu said, “Israel will win with or without their support,” adding that calling for an arms embargo is a “disgrace.”
In an interview with French radio, recorded on Tuesday and broadcast on Saturday, Macron said that “France does not deliver any” weapons to Israel.
He added: “I think we were not heard.”
“I think it is wrong, including with regard to Israel’s security,” he said, adding that the conflict leads to “hatred.”
Macron also said that avoiding escalation in Lebanon was a “priority” and that “Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza.”
Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that any country that does not stand with Israel supports Iran and its allies and proxies.
Netanyahu said: “As Israel fights the barbaric forces led by Iran, all civilized nations must stand firmly with Israel.
“However, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them.”
Macron’s office later said that France is a “loyal friend of Israel,” adding that Netanyahu’s reaction was “excessive and disconnected from the friendship between France and Israel.”
Speaking during the 19th Francophonie Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris on Saturday, Macron said that while both the United States and France called for a ceasefire in Lebanon, he added: “I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu made another choice. I took this responsibility, in the face of it. In particular, with regard to ground operations on Lebanese territory.
However, Macron reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense, and said he would meet relatives of French-Israelis held hostage in Gaza on Monday.
Monday marks the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Strip says more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
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