Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
In an unusually direct and public response, French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a sharply worded letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushing back against accusations of French support for Hamas and warning against the political misuse of antisemitism. The message, published in detail by Le Monde, also reiterated France’s unwavering commitment to recognizing a sovereign Palestinian state as part of a lasting peace in the Middle East.
The exchange follows Netanyahu’s claim earlier this month that Macron was implicitly supporting Hamas through France’s recent diplomatic initiatives, a claim Macron condemned as both baseless and harmful.
“I received your letter dated August 17, which you chose to release publicly before I even had a chance to read it,” Macron wrote, highlighting the deliberate politicization of what he characterized as private diplomatic correspondence. “Therefore, I will make my response public as well. I hope you will read it out of courtesy.”
Macron: Antisemitism Cannot Be Politicized
Macron’s letter opens with a firm rebuke of Netanyahu’s accusation that France is failing to combat antisemitism. “Fighting antisemitism must never be exploited or used to ignite division between Israel and France,” Macron warned, adding that such manipulation damages the cause itself and undermines shared democratic values.
Recalling his administration’s strong record, Macron pointed to a host of recent measures: enacting new legislation targeting antisemitism in higher education, organizing national conferences, deploying 15,000 police officers to protect Jewish sites after the October 7 attacks, and ensuring security for Israeli athletes during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“These accusations of inaction in the face of a scourge we are battling with full force are unacceptable and insulting to all of France,” he stated.
The French president emphasized that antisemitism has historically been fueled by both the far right and the radical left including factions that, under the guise of pro-Palestinian advocacy, promote hatred against Jewish communities. “Every expression of antisemitism is a betrayal of the Republic and of our universalist values,” he wrote.
A Commitment to Israel’s Security and a Palestinian State
Macron underlined France’s longstanding support for Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, while also stating that this cannot come at the expense of Palestinian rights or regional stability.
“The international definition of antisemitism does not exempt Israel from criticism over its current policies in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” he said. “True friendship between nations allows for frank dialogue and we have deep disagreements.”
France, he said, remains committed to a two-state solution, including the establishment of a demilitarized, sovereign Palestinian state that coexists peacefully with Israel. “We are convinced that such a path is essential not only for Palestinian dignity but also for Israel’s long-term security and regional integration.”
Macron stressed that any future Palestinian state must be free of terror groups like Hamas not a platform for them. “This would not reward Hamas,” he wrote, “but mark its end.”
“The Only Way to Defeat Hamas Is Through Peace”
More than 10 months into Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Macron asserted that military victory alone will not deliver lasting peace. “After nearly two years of Israeli operations in Gaza, we are convinced that the only path to truly defeat Hamas is through a permanent peace that prevents future generations of Israelis and Palestinians from being pulled into endless war.”
To that end, Macron outlined an initiative co-led by France and Saudi Arabia in July in New York, where dozens of Western and Arab governments expressed willingness to engage in a post-war stabilization plan. This included transitional security arrangements in Gaza, disarmament of terror groups, reconstruction of the devastated enclave, and reform of Palestinian governance all aimed at severing Hamas’s grip.
“This collective commitment is unprecedented,” Macron wrote, citing widespread outrage at what he called the “humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” and a recognition that mass displacement, famine, and unchecked violence will have enduring consequences for regional and global security including for Europe and Israel.
Warning Against Permanent Occupation of Gaza
In a particularly pointed section, Macron criticized Israel’s decision to initiate what he called a “new phase of the war” aimed at reoccupying Gaza, warning that such a move would inflict long-term harm on both Israelis and Palestinians.
“Such a decision will shape Israeli lives for decades to come and would exact a tremendous cost on your Palestinian neighbors. It would squander a historic opportunity for you as the longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel’s history, and for Israel itself, to convert military success into lasting political achievement.”
He urged Netanyahu to seize the opportunity presented by international consensus, not only to end the war in Gaza, but to pave the way for regional normalization, including with the broader Islamic world.
“Occupation, Starvation, and Annexation Will Not Bring Peace”
Macron also condemned what he described as illegal and dangerous trends in Israeli policy, including the forced displacement of Palestinians, widespread hunger in Gaza, hate-based narratives, and the annexation of the West Bank.
“These actions will never bring victory to Israel,” Macron warned. “On the contrary, they isolate you, empower extremists, and endanger Jewish communities worldwide.”
He added that the idea that Palestinians will simply disappear from their ancestral land is a fantasy. “There is no pathway to preserving Israel as both a democratic state and a national homeland for the Jewish people under such a scenario.”
France Offers a Hand — and a Choice
The French leader concluded his letter with a plea for renewed diplomatic engagement, urging Israel to take the outstretched hand of international partners working toward peace and reconstruction.
“France cannot stand by while a friendly nation drifts toward a spiral of violence that contradicts its democratic identity and undermines its moral stature,” Macron wrote. “We offer a credible, collective path forward, one that brings the war to a close and offers peace, dignity, and security for all.”
“Do not reject this out of hand,” he warned Netanyahu. “You have before you not just an opportunity but a historic one.”
