Netanyahu says Macronâs call for arms embargo is âa disgraceâ
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron over his call to halt arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza.
Macron told France Inter radio that âthe priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gazaâ.
At a summit in Paris on Saturday, the French president reiterated his concern over the conflict in Gaza continuing despite ceasefire calls, and he also criticised Israelâs decision to send ground troops into Lebanon.
Netanyahu responded: âShame on them,â referring to Macron and other Western leaders who have called for what he described as an arms embargo on Israel.
In a video released by his office, Netanyahu said âIsrael will win with or without their supportâ, adding that calling for an arms embargo was âa disgraceâ.
In an interview with the French broadcaster, which was recorded on Tuesday and aired on Saturday, Macron said âFrance is not delivering anyâ weapons to Israel.
He added: âI think we are not being heard.â
âI think it is a mistake, including for the security of Israel,â he said, adding that the conflict was leading to âhatredâ.
Macron also said that avoiding an escalation in Lebanon was a âpriorityâ and that âLebanon cannot become a new Gazaâ.
Netanyahuâs office responded by saying that any country that did not stand with Israel was supporting Iran and its allies and proxies.
Netanyahu said: âAs Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israelâs side.
âYet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them.â
Macronâs office later said that France is a âsteadfast friend of Israelâ, adding that Netanyahuâs reaction was âexcessive and detached from the friendship between France and Israelâ.
Speaking at the at the 19th Francophonie Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris on Saturday, Macron said that while both the US and France had called for a ceasefire in Lebanon, he added: âI regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice, has taken this responsibility, in particular, for ground operations on Lebanese soil.â
However, Macron reaffirmed Israelâs right to self-defence and said that he would be meeting relatives of Franco-Israelis held hostage in Gaza on Monday.
Monday will mark the first anniversary of Hamasâs attack on Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage. More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territoryâs Hamas-run health ministry says.