Israeli politicians across the political spectrum sharply criticised French President Emmanuel Macron after he told the United Nations that Hamas has ‘never operated’ in the West Bank.
Macron addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, speaking in French.
He said: “Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where day after day we see violations. And in the name of what? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank.”
He added that respect for the Palestinian people’s right to exist is essential for Israel’s security.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the comments a “grotesque absurdity”, noting that a French-Israeli father-of-six, Netanel Shukron, was killed near the N’vei Tzuf spring in the Binyamin area on the eve of Yom Kippur by an attacker Israeli officials linked to Hamas.
The statement added that Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost daily and have murdered numerous Israeli civilians in the West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Macron of lying and pointed to “hundreds of attacks”.
Gadi Eisenkot, from the opposition Yashar party, said he was an IDF commander in the West Bank and was “very familiar” with Hamas operations there.
Israeli security forces announced earlier this month the arrest of a suspected ten-member Hamas cell accused of planning an attack in the northern Jordan Valley.
A French diplomatic source later told The Jerusalem Post that Macron’s words were misinterpreted.
Macron’s speech also criticised the humanitarian situation in Gaza, questioned the value of recognising a Palestinian state without further action, and addressed the need for a fully sovereign Lebanon capable of disarming Hezbollah.
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