Paris: After publicly calling last Saturday for the stopping of arms supply to Israel, French president Emannuel Macron appeared to soften his stand when he spoke to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in less than 24 hours. Macron's unexpected call for embargo had visibly upset Netanyahu who made it clear that Israel will continue to pursue its strategic goals irrespective of the stand adopted by any country.
In fact, the embattled Israeli leader said "Shame on them" with the reference being to those who are trying to stymie his efforts in Gaza and elsewhere. Following the adverse reaction to his call for arms embargo within France and outside, Macron tried to soft-pedal the whole controversy by having a telephonic chat with Netanyahu where he tried to clear the air. But for good measure Macron did reiterate his call for an early political solution to the ongoing conflict which is now threatening to snowball into a full blown global crisis.
The French President insisted that the time for a ceasefire
had come while the Israeli Prime Minister warned that any arms embargo on Israel would help Iran and its proxy militias. The Elysée Palace, the French President’s office reported on Sunday that while both leaders wanted to be understood by the other, they also accepted their differences in opinion.
Macron reassured Netanyahu of France's "unwavering" commitment to Israel's security. Yesterday, a day before 7 October 7, the day that marks the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, which has resulted in Israel’s total siege of the Gaza Strip, Macron expressed the "solidarity of the French people with the Israeli people." However he warned "the arms deliveries, the prolongation of the war in Gaza and its extension to Lebanon cannot produce the security expected by the Israelis and by everyone in the region."
A statement released by Netanyahu's office said the Israeli PM in turn
warned the French President that the Jewish state expected its friends to
support it and, therefore, not impose restrictions that will only strengthen
the Iranian axis of "evil"; referring to Iran and its allies in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Foreign Minister is on a tour of the Middle East and is in Israel today. He attended a ceremony in Re’im, in the South of Israel in honour of the victims of the October 7 attack of last year.
“Today, France mourns alongside Israel, our compatriots. France will never stop demanding the unconditional release of the hostages, he told those gathered. Barrot met his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz. He will then head to Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority. He will be reporting in the coming days to Emmanuel Macron, the Elysée Palace indicated.
Meanwhile, in France around 4,000 people have been invited by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France to the Paris Dôme for a ceremony paying tributes to the victims of the October 7 attacks and demonstrating solidarity with the hostages still held captive by Hamas. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier along with several other members of the French government will attend the event.
Despite its show of solidarity with Israel Macron insists that “Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza"Israeli bombardments across Lebanon have multiplied.
Netanyahu's office reported on Sunday that its PM , in its talk with Macron, stressed that Israeli actions against Hezbollah ``create an opportunity to change the reality in Lebanon for greater stability, security and peace in the entire region.” The last statement is a give away to Tel Aviv's strategic aim vis-a-vis Lebanon.
