Israel rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday after he criticised Israeli actions in the West Bank in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. In his last speech as president addressing the UN's signature annual diplomatic gathering, Macron deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza – from which Hamas led the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest ever against Israel – as well as actions by Israel in the West Bank. Read moreMacron urges world to 'stand firm' against 'abuse of power by empires' in final UN speech Macron said that "Hamas has never struck in the West Bank," a territory seized by Israel in 1967 that is home to the Palestinian Authority.
"The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron's statement is staggering," said a statement by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to deliver a defiant address to the world body on Thursday. "Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria," it said, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.
To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Netanyahu's office pointed to the shooting death on Sunday – on the eve of Judaism's holiest day of Yom Kippur – of an Israeli settler in the West Bank. Israel said that the victim, father of six Netanel Shukrun, also had French citizenship.
The Israeli military said it arrested the Palestinian gunman at a hospital and troops later raided his village. A minister in Netanyahu's government called for his execution under a new law. Extremist Israeli settlers frequently attack and steal from West Bank Palestinians.
The United Nations said there were about six settler-related violent incidents against Palestinians or their property daily through mid-2026 in the territory. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, also denounced Macron's remarks. "Hard to imagine a more out of touch with reality speech than Macron at UN," Huckabee wrote on X on Wednesday.
"Hamas is an evil scourge, and they have killed innocent American citizens." In his Tuesday speech, Macron railed against the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged countries to recommit to international laws and the UN system. "What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza? Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries.
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