By AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a “huge reward for terrorism”.
Macron, meanwhile, posted on X that he had told Netanyahu the suffering of civilians in Gaza “must end” and only a ceasefire in the war with Hamas would free the remaining Israeli hostages in the territory.
A statement released by Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders spoke by phone and the Israeli prime minister expressed to the French president his “strong opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, stating that it would be a huge reward for terrorism”.
“The prime minister told the French president that a Palestinian state established just minutes away from Israeli cities would become a stronghold of Iranian terrorism, and that a vast majority of the Israeli public firmly opposes this — and this has been his consistent and long-standing policy.”
For his part, the French president said he told Netanyahu that “the ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end,” and called for “the opening of all humanitarian aid crossings” into the besieged Palestinian territory.
Israel has cut off all aid to the Gaza Strip since March 2 to pressure Hamas.
The call came after Macron’s comments last week that Paris could recognise a Palestinian state within months sparked a wave of criticism in Israel, including from Netanyahu and his son, as well as right-wing groups in France.
On Monday, he said he hoped French recognition would encourage others to follow and that countries which did not recognise Israel should also do so.
The day before the call, Macron told the president of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas, that he would support a plan for the PA to govern post-war Gaza, if it underwent reform.
“It is essential to set a framework for the day after: disarm and sideline Hamas, define credible governance and reform the Palestinian Authority,” Macron told Abbas in a phone call, according to a post on X.
“This should allow progress towards a two-state political solution, with a view to the peace conference in June, in the service of peace and security for all,” wrote Macron.
Israel has been battling Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the latter attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
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