On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant considered it a “shame” for Paris that the Euronaval exhibition dedicated to naval defense will not host any Israeli pavilions or equipment during its session next month at the request of the French government.
“(French President Emmanuel) Macron’s steps are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world that he claims to support,” Gallant wrote in a post on the XN platform.
French President Macron’s actions are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world, which he claims to uphold. The decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France a second time – aids Israel’s enemies during the war. This builds on the…
– Home – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) October 16, 2024
Gallant considered that “the decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France for the second time helps Israel’s enemies during the war.”
He said that France “has adopted and is constantly implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people.”
On Tuesday, Macron sharpened his tone towards Israel, saying during a cabinet meeting, according to what was reported by some of those who attended the session, that “Netanyahu must not forget that his country was established by a decision of the United Nations.”
Macron was referring to Resolution 181 issued by the United Nations General Assembly in November 1947, which stipulated the establishment of a Jewish state and an Arab state on the land of Palestine, which was under the British Mandate, according to the American “Politico” magazine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Macron’s statements through a statement published by his office, saying: “A reminder to the President of France that the State of Israel did not establish a decision by the United Nations, but rather by virtue of the victory in the War of Independence, which was achieved with the blood of heroic fighters, including many Holocaust survivors, in particular From the Vichy regime in France,” according to the Hebrew newspaper “The Times of Israel.”
The Vichy government had cooperated with the Nazis after they occupied northern France, including the French capital, Paris, during World War II, as a previous report by the Al-Hurra website explained.
The statements attributed to Macron sparked widespread discontent among French Jews, according to Agence France-Presse.
In this regard, the head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), Yonatan Arvi, said in a post on the “X” platform, “The statements attributed to the President of the Republic, if confirmed as true, represent a historical and political error.”
At dawn on Wednesday, the Elysee issued a statement regarding a phone conversation that took place between Macron and Netanyahu, without mentioning the statements that the Israeli Prime Minister criticized.
The French presidency said in its statement that during the call, Macron condemned “the indiscriminate Israeli strikes that only lead to an increase in human losses, which are essentially unbearable, whether in Gaza or in Lebanon.”
Tensions are increasing between Netanyahu and Macron, who last week considered that “stopping the export of weapons” used in Gaza and Lebanon is “the only lever” to put an end to the conflicts.
ظهرت في الأصل على www.alhurra.com