By Deutsche Welle
06 Oct 2024, 19:41 PM EDT
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, had a telephone interview with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom he insisted that “the time for a ceasefire has arrived” in the Middle East.
“The President of the Republic has expressed to the Prime Minister (Netanyahu) his conviction that the time for a ceasefire has arrived. The supply of weapons, the prolongation of the war in Gaza and its extension to Lebanon may be counterproductive for Israeli security itself,” the French presidency said in a statement.
France suggests stopping arms supplies to Israel
The call between the two leaders comes at a time of diplomatic tension since Macron advocated stopping supplying weapons to Israel, something that angered Netanyahu.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, Macron made clear “the solidarity of the French people with the Israeli people, especially with the victims, the hostages and their families” and recognized that, like all countries, Israel “has of the right to defend oneself against terrorism.”
The offensives against the Jewish State “have to stop, whether they come from Iran or its allies in the region.”
Likewise, the French president recalled the military support that Paris has provided to Netanyahu’s Executive “during the Iranian attacks (against Israel) recorded in recent months.” In any case, as Macron himself has acknowledged, France no longer supplies weapons to Israel.
Egypt and Jordan agree with the president of France
The governments of Egypt and Jordan expressed their support for the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in his request to stop the export of weapons to Israel in the face of the “serious violations of international law” committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. .
The Foreign Ministries of both countries welcomed, in separate messages, the invitation of the French president, after Israeli actions over the last year in Palestine and Lebanon have caused “the death of tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them women and children, in a clear challenge to the international community.”
According to Egypt, the French president’s proposal is “fully in line with respect for the principles and rules of international humanitarian law,” and reflects the overwhelming and growing discontent at the international level “of the brutal Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.”
Netanyahu calls proposal ‘shameful’
For his part, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Sufyan al Qudah, also considered that Macron’s proposal is in harmony with the “decisions issued by the Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and the decisions of the International Court.” ”, aimed at “the need to impose a ceasefire in Gaza and stop this unprecedented disaster and suffering.”
Macron’s proposal generated a response from Netanyahu, who described the position as “shameful” and assured that Israel will prevail “with or without help.”
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