Diplomatic friction between France and Israel intensified on Friday after Israeli authorities issued a scathing rebuttal to French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for tougher European action over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He emphasised that granting Israel a "free pass" would undermine the moral authority of Western nations. Macron stated, "If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility."
He further highlighted the importance of avoiding double standards, asserting that the West cannot condemn aggression in Ukraine while remaining silent on the situation in Gaza. Macron's remarks have intensified diplomatic tensions between France and Israel, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry accusing him of leading a "crusade against the Jewish state."
Responding to Macron’s remarks made during a press conference in Singapore, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the French President of distorting facts and continuing a “crusade” against the Jewish state.
“President Macron’s Crusade against the Jewish State Continues,” read the ministry’s official statement on X. “The facts do not interest Macron. There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie.”
Macron, who is on a six-day diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia, had urged European nations to consider hardening their stance against Israel should it fail to respond appropriately to the deteriorating situation in Gaza. He stated that recognising a sovereign Palestinian state was “not just a moral but a political necessity.”
“If there is no response in line with the humanitarian situation in Gaza, in the coming hours and days... we will have to harden our collective position,” Macron added.
Also read: Macron asks EU to harden stance against Israel over Gaza
Meanwhile, the United Nations reiterated its warning about the dire conditions in Gaza, which it described as the “hungriest place on earth.” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated on Friday: “It's the only defined area—a country or defined territory within a country—where you have the entire population at risk of famine. One hundred per cent of the population is at risk of famine.”
Amid mounting international criticism, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued a stark warning on Thursday following the government’s decision to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Katz vowed to strengthen Israel’s territorial hold and rebuffed European pressure.
“This is the decisive response to Hamas that is trying to weaken the Israeli hold on the land, and it is also a clear message to French President Emmanuel Macron and his associates: they will recognise a Palestinian state on paper, but we will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground,” he said.
Macron has in recent weeks emerged as one of the most vocal Western leaders criticising Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Speaking at the prestigious Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Macron acknowledged global concerns over Western hypocrisy.
“Things cannot go on like this, where on one side we are fighting collectively for Ukraine against Russia and giving a free pass to Israel in its shameful campaign in Gaza,” Macron told the gathering. “Our credibility is at stake.”
As the humanitarian toll in Gaza grows and diplomatic exchanges grow more pointed, the rift between long-standing allies over the Middle East crisis appears set to deepen.
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