France accuses Israeli government of condoning violence in the West Bank — Anadolu Agency
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that the Israeli government is condoning violence against Palestinians and the further seizure of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. According to him, the region is seeing an unprecedented increase in violence by Israeli extremists against Palestinians, Anadolu Agency reports.
Statement by France’s foreign minister
Speaking on France Inter and France 2, Barrot said that the Israeli government is showing a culpable and scandalous level of tolerance toward the situation in the West Bank. His comments came after statements by French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN General Assembly in New York last week.
Macron said that violations in the West Bank occur every day and questioned in whose name they are being committed. He also said that the Palestinian group Hamas had never operated in the West Bank.
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Israel’s reaction
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the French president’s remarks, calling them “arrogant absurdity.” The statement also claimed that Hamas members had attacked Israeli civilians in the West Bank.
Barrot defended Macron, stressing that his words should not be taken out of context. According to the minister, the Israeli government’s policy is not weakening Hamas either in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank. When repeatedly asked about Hamas activity in the region, he did not answer directly.
Statements on threats from Russia
Barrot also said that since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — has intensified hostile actions against European countries, including France. He included disinformation, cyber campaigns and sabotage among them, and warned that an attack by a Russian drone on a French airport or nuclear power plant is one possible scenario. According to him, France has long been preparing for such risks.
