Israel has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of embarking on a “crusade against the Jewish state,” after Macron said European countries should consider toughening their stance on Israel if it fails to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry sharply rejected Macron’s comments, calling the assertion that Israel is enforcing a humanitarian blockade on Gaza “a blatant lie.” The ministry said that Israel is currently facilitating aid through two major efforts aimed at delivering humanitarian relief while bypassing Hamas.
“In the first effort, nearly 900 aid trucks have already entered Gaza from Israel this week,” the ministry said. “Hundreds of these trucks are still waiting for the UN to collect and distribute them in Gaza.”
The second effort, according to the statement, involves the newly launched Gaza Humanitarian Fund — backed by the U.S. and other international partners — which has already distributed two million meals and tens of thousands of aid packages since it began operating earlier this week.
“This direct aid to the population in Gaza — bypassing Hamas — is already changing the situation on the ground and has the potential to seriously harm the terrorists and shorten the war,” the ministry said.
Rather than applying pressure on what the ministry called “jihadist terrorists,” it accused Macron of attempting to reward them by advancing Palestinian statehood. “No doubt it's national day will be October 7,” the statement said, referencing the date of the Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the current war.
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The ministry also condemned Macron’s suggestion of sanctions on Israeli settlers while Israel is “under attack on multiple fronts in an attempt to destroy it.”
“And it is against Israel — under attack on multiple fronts in an attempt to destroy it — that Macron seeks to impose sanctions,” the statement said. “Hamas, for its part, has already praised Macron’s statements. Hamas knows why.”
At a press conference in Singapore on Friday, Macron said France was committed to a two-state solution and warned that continued Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza could prompt collective European action.
“The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground,” Macron said alongside Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. “If there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position.” He added that France may even consider sanctions against Israeli settlers.
Despite growing criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the humanitarian toll, Macron reiterated France’s commitment to a political resolution to the conflict.
“The existence of a Palestinian state is not just simply a moral duty but also a political necessity,” he said.