French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot defended in a press conference held this Monday (7) after meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in Jerusalem, President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion for an embargo of arms to Israel, highlighting that this measure aims to guarantee the “security of the country and its citizens”.
“Today, to guarantee the security of Israel, to guarantee the security of Israelis, the use of force must give way to the use of dialogue and diplomacy,” Barrot said.
The chancellor of Macron’s government also emphasized his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel continues to fight the terrorist group Hamas.
“[…] France, like most countries in the world, is calling, in Gaza as well as in Lebanon, for a ceasefire. And when we call for a ceasefire, we cannot at the same time provide offensive weapons to the belligerents. It’s a question of consistency,” he said.
Barrot’s speech, within Israeli territory, comes after Macron stated on Saturday (5) that one cannot “fight terrorism by sacrificing the civilian population” of Gaza and suggested an arms embargo on Israel. In an interview given to radio France Interthe French president commented: “I think that, today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop sending weapons [a Israel] to carry out the fighting in Gaza.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same day criticized Macron for his statements, stating that Israel “will win with or without his support”.
In his remarks, Netanyahu expressed outrage at the position of the French president and other Western countries who share this view. The Israeli leader argued that Iran and its allies, such as the terrorist group Hezbollah and other groups in Iraq and Yemen, do not ask for arms embargoes for themselves and that “while Israel fights against the barbarities led by Iran, civilized countries should position be by your side.”
#Macrons #Chancellor #defends #arms #embargo #Israel