Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a post on his office’s X account on Wednesday, Netanyahu said “Macron is once again demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism.”
Macron had previously criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, as he has done frequently in the past.
“Macron has once again chosen to stand with a murderous Islamist terrorist organization and echo its despicable propaganda, accusing Israel of blood libels,” the statement continued.
The term “blood libels” refers to anti-Semitic false accusations that have been made against Jews since the Middle Ages.
Netanyahu went on to argue that Israel has been fighting a war for its existence on several fronts following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Dozens of French citizens were also murdered and kidnapped at that time.
On Tuesday, Macron told French television channel TF1 “what Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is currently doing is unacceptable.” He said that humanitarian aid from France and other countries for the people of Gaza was being blocked by Israel.
Macron called it a disgrace. France had always recognized Israel’s right to defend itself, but had also made it clear that the solution did not lie in indiscriminate attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has not allowed any aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip since the beginning of March. The country accuses Hamas of reselling the aid supplies for profit to finance its fighters and weapons. Israel’s army says that it spares civilians in its attacks.
The Hamas-controlled health authorities say tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the war. According to reports from the Gaza Strip, there are also many civilian casualties in Israeli attacks. The information provided by both sides cannot currently be independently verified.
