Macron Calls For ‘Decisive Relaunch’ Of Palestinian Peace Process After Meet With Netanyahu In Israel

Macron also called for the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group to be expanded to also fight Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron.

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday arrived in Tel Aviv to express his country's "full solidarity" with Israel following the deadly October 7 attacks carried out by the militant group Hamas.

During the joint press conference, Macron called for a "decisive relaunch" of the Palestinian peace process and said that he would discuss this issue later Tuesday during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, news agency AFP reported.

 

Macron also called for the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group to be expanded to also fight Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel.

 

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that Israel would destroy Hamas and that Israelis would not “live under Hamas tyranny”, reported AFP.

 

Macron said that saving hostages held by Hamas in Gaza must be the "first objective" of the military campaign.

"The first objective we should have today is the release of all hostages, without any distinction, because this is an awful crime to play with these lives of children, adults, old people, civilians and soldiers," Macron said after meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

Thirty French people were killed in the Hamas attacks which Israel said left 1,400 dead. Macron said nine French people are missing, at least one has been confirmed to be among more than 220 people taken hostage by Hamas gunmen.

He expressed outrage after a video of one French hostage, Mia Schem, was broadcast by Hamas last week.

"I want you to be sure that you're not left alone in this war against terrorism," Macron told Herzog, stressing attacks staged in France in recent years.

"I think this is our duty to fight against these terrorist groups, without any confusion, without I would say enlarging this conflict."

With the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group daily trading artillery fire with the army across the Lebanon-Israel border, Western governments are concerned the conflict could spread.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also raised that concern during visits to Israel over the past week.