Macron hits back, tells Netanyahu not to weaponise antisemitism issue

PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron strongly rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent criticism over rising antisemitism in France and warned the issue should not be “weaponised”, in an letter to the Israeli leader published Tuesday.

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At the same time, he expressed his determination to establish a Palestinian state under the two-state solution — a stance that has been responded with wrath and ridicule by both Israel and the United States.

The antisemitism accusations also correspond with the Greater Israel plan advocated by the far-right Netanyahu government.

Read more: Dar blasts Greater Israel plan, calls for two-state solution

“These accusations of inaction in the face of a scourge that we are fighting with everything in our power are unacceptable and are an offence to France as a whole,” Macron wrote, in a letter published in several newspapers.

Earlier on Monday, Macron said that Israeli strikes on Naseer Hospital in Gaza that caused the deaths of civilians and journalists were “intolerable”.

In his letter, the French president described protecting “France’s Jewish citizens from the rise in antisemitism” as an absolute priority, but warned that “it must not be the subject of manipulation”.

He also mentioned the politicisation of a conflict “that is not France’s but that is affecting its national cohesion and the security of its citizens”.

“It would be wrong to explain, or even justify, antisemitism in France through the decisions that I have made,” Macron added.

TWO-STATE SOLUTION

Despite the continuous criticism from the US and Israel, Macron used the opportunity to argue the case for a Palestinian state yet again.

“Our determination to ensure that the Palestinian people have a State is rooted in our belief that a lasting peace is essential to the State of Israel’s security, to its full regional integration in a Middle East at last at peace, and to a shift towards normalisation that we support and that must be allowed to come to fruition as swiftly as possible.

Read more: Jordan says Israel killing peace prospects, France sees complete disaster

“This lasting peace will be brought about by a sovereign Palestinian State, recognising Israel and its right to security, demilitarised and living peacefully alongside you.”

WHAT DID NETANYAHU SAY

Earlier, Netanyahu in a letter sent to Macron claimed that antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement to recognise the Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly session.

“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,” Netanyahu alleged.