French President Emmanuel Macron has urged countries to stop supplying weapons to Israel if they want a ceasefire, a move which has infuriated and angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported the New York Times.
Following the French leader’s comments over the weekend, Netanyahu indignantly said in a video statement: “As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side.”
Responding directly to the French president, he said: “Yet, President Macron and some other Western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them.”
“Let me tell you this, Israel will win with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won,” he added.
Notably, it was not the first time Macron had suggested such a move. He put forward the same stance last month at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and argued that it is “inconsistent” to push for a cease-fire while supplying weapons.
However, his statement appears to have struck a raw nerve for the Israeli prime minister at this time.
The French leader has made efforts to strike a delicate balance in his approach to the Middle East conflict, by expressing support for Israel’s right to self-defense while also simultaneously criticising Israeli military operations and pleading for a cease-fire to put an end to growing civilian casualties in Gaza and now Lebanon, which is a former French colony.
Earlier on Monday, Israel stepped up its air and ground offensive in Gaza with more attacks on Hamas posts as both sides marked the first anniversary of a war that has destroyed much of the territory and changed Palestinians’ lives forever, reported Reuters.
For its part, Hamas said it struck Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv with a missile salvo, setting off sirens in central Israel.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the small coastal enclave’s health ministry, displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population, and caused a hunger and health crisis.
On the other side, Israeli airstrikes have displaced 1.2 million people in Lebanon, and Israel’s intensified bombing campaign has worried many Lebanese that their country will experience the vast scale of destruction wrought on Gaza by Israel.
