Emmanuel Macron speaks out in favor of stopping arms deliveries to Israel for the war in Gaza

Emmanuel Macron, at the Francophonie summit, in Paris, October 5, 2024.

Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday October 5 that he was in favor of stopping arms deliveries to Israel which are used in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to carry out the fighting in Gaza”declared the Head of State during the program “Etcetera” on France Inter. “France does not deliver any”he added during this interview recorded on 1^uh October.

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“If we call for a ceasefire, consistency means not providing the weapons of war”Emmanuel Macron developed later Saturday, closing a Francophonie summit in Paris.

These proposals aroused the anger of the Israeli Prime Minister, two days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks. ” Shame “replied Benyamin Netanyahu to the address of the French president and other Westerners calling for arms embargoes against his country. “As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should stand firmly with Israel”he continued.

Exchanges quickly took on the appearance of a crisis between the two countries. So much so that the Elysée published an update in the evening ensuring that France “is the unwavering friend of Israel” and lamenting the words “excessive” by Benjamin Netanyahu.

The French presidency and recalls that Paris had “mobilized its average soldiers” to help intercept Iranian missiles fired against it during Israel’s massive attack earlier this week.

Read also | Faced with Iran, France sides with Israel and the United States

Benjamin Netanyahu commits “a mistake”

The head of state also announced that he would receive on Monday, at the Elysée, the families of Franco-Israeli hostages held in Gaza. A year after the Hamas attack on Israel, which left 1,205 people dead, 97 people are still held captive, 33 of whom have been declared dead. In retaliation, the Jewish state launched a military operation that has so far killed at least 41,825 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-led Gaza government.

By refusing any ceasefire, Benjamin Netanyahu commits “a fault, including for the security of Israel tomorrow”also said Emmanuel Macron on Saturday on France Inter, warning against “a resentment that is being born, a hatred that is fueled by this”.

Advocating the ” consistency “, the head of state also appreciated “ that those who provide (weapons) cannot call alongside us every day for a ceasefire and continue to supply them.” A remark aimed in particular at the United States.

Read also | War in the Middle East: the United States involved, willingly and forcefully, in Israeli military operations

US President Joe Biden has so far refused to use the lever of supplying arms to Israel, apart from suspending a delivery of bombs in May. The United Kingdom, for its part, announced in September the suspension of around thirty arms export licenses to Israel out of a total of 350, following an examination concluding that “a risk” that they are used in violation of international humanitarian law in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza

Until now, France had never taken such a clear position in favor of an embargo on arms sales to Israel. In April, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, assured that they represented only a very small percentage of French defense exports: 0.2%, out of a total of 27 billion euros in 2022, or around 15 . million euros for arms deliveries, and 34 million euros, out of a total of 8.8 billion, for so-called “dual-use” goods. These licenses concern “mainly transfers of spare parts”he said.

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But these transfers cover a wide range of components, sometimes key to the manufacture of more complex equipment. On March 26, the investigative media Disclose and the website Marsactu thus revealed the presence, in the port of Marseille, of a cargo of links for small caliber ammunition, intended for a subsidiary of the Israeli defense giant Elbit. If it appeared that the license granted only allowed, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, re-export to third countries, and not for use by the Israeli army, this information highlighted the ambiguity of diplomatic exchanges. military between France and the Hebrew State.

On Saturday, while recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, the French president also spoke of Israeli ground operations in Lebanon. “I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu made another choice (than the ceasefire proposed by Paris and Washington), took this responsibility, in particular for land operations on Lebanese soil”he declared. Emmanuel Macron recalled that the “priority is to avoid escalation”. “The Lebanese people cannot in turn be sacrificed and Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza”he insisted.

Read also | In Lebanon, Israeli bombings have wiped out entire families: “I lost my wife, my son, my house. My life is broken »

Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks, said Macron’s statement was “an important and appreciated step towards ending the war”while Jordan welcomed the French leader’s call.

A position well received on the left

The head of state’s statements were rather well received on the left. The boss of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, expressed his relief on social network “Finally and so much the better if France can speak with one voice! » “Yes, we must stop delivering weapons to Israel as we have been saying for months”, also reacted the coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompardcalling, however, to “get out of ineffective sentences” car “only competent acts” and further demanding “sanctions against Netanyahu’s government”.

The head of the environmentalist deputies, Cyrielle Chatelain, also appreciated that France must go further and “stop all arms deliveries to Israel” not the army “commits war crimes”.

Conversely, Julien Odoul, spokesperson for the National Rally, declared a change of direction “irresponsible and criminal”recalling that after the attacks of October 7, the Head of State “I wanted to set up a great international military alliance against the Hamas terrorists,” while“one year later, while the State of Israel is attacked from all sides, Macron wants to disarm it”.

For its part, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France has “strongly” deplored the proposals of the Head of State: “calling to deprive Israel of weapons is not playing the game of peace, it amounts to playing the game of Hamas and Hezbollah!” »

The World with AFP

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