Israel rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday following his criticism of Israeli actions in the West Bank during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
In his final speech as president at the UN’s signature annual diplomatic gathering, Macron condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza — from which Hamas led the deadly 7 October 2023 attack on Israel — as well as Israeli actions in the West Bank.
Macron stated that “Hamas has never struck in the West Bank,” a territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and home to the Palestinian Authority.
“The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron’s statement is staggering,” said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to address the world body on Thursday.
“Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost daily. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria,” the statement said, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s office referenced the shooting death on Sunday, on the eve of Judaism’s holiest day of Yom Kippur, of an Israeli settler in the West Bank.
Israel confirmed that the victim, father of six Netanel Shukrun, also held French citizenship.
The Israeli military said it arrested the Palestinian gunman at a hospital, and troops subsequently raided his village. A minister in Netanyahu’s government called for his execution under a new law.
Israeli settlers regularly attack and seize property from Palestinians in the West Bank. The United Nations reported approximately six settler-related violent incidents against Palestinians or their property daily through mid-2026 in the territory.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also condemned Macron’s remarks.
“Hard to imagine a more out of touch with reality speech than Macron at UN,” Huckabee wrote on X on Wednesday. “Hamas is an evil scourge and they have killed innocent American citizens.”
During his Tuesday address, Macron criticised the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged nations to recommit to international law and the UN system.
“What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza? Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. It is a spectacle that shames us all,” Macron said.
“Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where there are violations every day. In the name of what? Hamas has never struck in the West Bank. This every day makes it more impossible to achieve respect for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to exist.”
The Palestinian Authority exercises semi-autonomous civil rule in major urban areas of the West Bank, while Israel controls most of the territory.
Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew and dismantled its settlements.
Netanyahu has strained relations with Macron, who led a push by Western nations at last year’s UN General Assembly to recognise a Palestinian state.
France recently joined Britain in imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, further angering the Israeli government.
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