Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu furiously lashed out at the leaders of France, the U.K. and Canada after they threatened “targeted sanctions” over Israel’s renewed military offensive in Gaza.
The British, French and Canadian heads of government decried in a joint statement on Monday the “intolerable” humanitarian situation in the besieged coastal enclave, and called on Israel to halt its new, intensified campaign, which comes after a months-long blockade and has involved a fresh wave of ground assaults and air strikes.
“Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate,” the three leaders wrote.
“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” they added.
The rare, joint intervention by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earned a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu, who hit out at the three leaders in a statement of his own late Monday.
“By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottowa [sic] and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities,” Netanyahu wrote on social media.
“Israel accepts President Trump’s vision and urges all European leaders to do the same,” he added, apparently referring to the U.S. leader’s proposal to take over Gaza, expel its resident Palestinian population and redevelop it. The plan has been roundly dismissed by Middle Eastern and European countries and the United Nations, which warned against “any form of ethnic cleansing,” but was quickly embraced by Netanyahu.
The British-French-Canadian declaration reflects an overall souring in the attitudes of Israel’s Western allies toward its grinding military offensive in Gaza, which it launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border raid killed 1,200 Israelis.
Macron publicly feuded with Netanyahu last year after calling for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel and again last month when he floated French recognition of a Palestinian state.
The Netherlands also recently called on the EU to review its partnership with Israel over the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands pushed toward starvation and disease by Israel’s military assault.
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