French President Macron visits Israel to show support
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Israel on Tuesday (October 24) in the latest trip by a Western leader to express support for the country amid its war against Hamas, offering an assurance that Israel is “not left alone in the war against terrorism.”
Macron met with the families of French citizens who were killed or taken hostage in the devastating October 7 attack by Hamas, saying, “we will neglect nothing” to obtain freedom for French citizens. Nine French nationals are missing or believed held captive, and 30 were killed.
At a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Macron stressed Israel's right to defend itself.
“The fight must be without mercy, but not without rules,” Macron said, because democracies “respect the rules of war,” an apparent reference to criticism of Israeli airstrikes that have killed Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
He later travelled to the Israeli-occupied West Bank for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who runs the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority. Macron said Hamas' attack was “also a catastrophe” for Palestinians and “there will be no lasting peace” without a two-state solution.