PARIS (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron condemned in a televised speech on Thursday “the most tragic terrorist attack in the history of Israel” and called on the French to remain united in order to “carry a message of peace and security to the Near -East”.
In an eleven-minute message, the head of state condemned Hamas, which he described as a “terrorist movement”, and declared that the State of Israel had “the right to defend itself” by “preserving the civilian populations.
“We share Israel’s grief,” he said, five days after the Hamas attack which left at least 1,300 dead on Israeli soil.
According to a latest report drawn up by Emmanuel Macron, 13 French nationals were killed and 17 others, “children and adults”, are missing and perhaps “held hostage”.
“France will never abandon its children,” assured the head of state. “We will do everything to ensure that these hostages, whatever their nationality, are released.”
Most of the victims of the Hamas attack were civilians shot dead in their homes, in the streets or at a techno music festival near the border with Gaza, where dozens of Israeli and foreign hostages are being held. ; Israel claims to have identified 97.
Emmanuel Macron expressed his concern to avoid any “extension” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to neighboring countries.
“We cannot resolve to an endless war in this region,” said the head of state, who notably met with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and leaders of countries in the region such as Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“The fight against terrorism cannot replace the search for peace,” said Emmanuel Macron, who recalled the French position of a two-state solution.
President of the European country which contains the largest Jewish and Muslim communities, Emmanuel Macron launched a message of unity.
“Those who confuse the Palestinian cause and the justification for terrorism are committing a moral, political and strategic mistake,” he said.
“Let us not add national fractures to international fractures and let us not give in to any form of hatred,” he also declared.
Emmanuel Macron addressed French people of Jewish faith whose “concern, sometimes fear” he said he understood.
“The Republic will be there to protect you and it will be merciless with all the bearers of hatred,” declared the president, who also addressed the Muslims of France.
“Neither suspicion nor division should exist within the Nation,” he said.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, asked the prefects to ban any pro-Palestinian demonstration in the territory, while hundreds of people still gathered in Paris to show their support for the Palestinian people.
(Written by Elizabeth Pineau and Jean-Stéphane Brosse; edited by Zhifan Liu)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.