Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that recognizing Palestine as a state would be a victory for Hamas and Iran.
During a phone call with Macron on Tuesday, Netanyahu “expressed fierce opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said that this would constitute a huge prize for terrorism,” his office said in a statement.
According to the Israeli leader, “a Palestinian state established a few minutes away from Israeli cities would become an Iranian stronghold of terrorism,” his office said.
Last Wednesday, Macron said France could recognize a Palestinian state in the coming months. “I’m not doing it for unity, or to please this or that person. I’m doing it because at some point it will be fair,” Macron said during an interview with a French broadcaster.
Israel has waged war on Hamas in Gaza since October 2023, after the militant group carried out a violent attack on Israeli soil and took hostages to the coastal enclave. The Israeli military has reportedly killed more than 50,000 people in its retaliatory assault. As of now, Israel controls about a third of Gaza, with ceasefire talks ongoing but stalled over key demands.
The United Nations warned Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now “likely to be the worst it has been” since Israel’s relentless attacks began 18 months ago, with critical shortages of medical supplies, fuel and water.
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