French President Emmanuel Macron (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel FM Sa’ar warned such initiatives could jeopardize “the critical negotiations for the release of the hostages, as has already happened in the past.”
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Israel criticized France on Wednesday for hosting a summit on Gaza’s post-war future, calling the Paris meeting “unnecessary and harmful,”even as close ally the US is will be represented.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had been expected to attend, will no longer join the meeting, though Washington is still likely to be represented, diplomatic sources confirmed.
The gathering, set for Thursday, will include representatives from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, and Canada.
According to a note circulated to delegates, the session aims to coordinate international efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
It follows a recent UN conference on a “two-state solution” and will run in parallel to indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt.
Discussions are expected to focus on Gaza’s reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and the disarmament of Hamas, as well as potential roles for the Palestinian Authority and regional partners.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sharply rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron for convening the meeting and inviting what he called “governments openly hostile to Israel,” such as Spain.
“We see this as another attempt by President Macron to divert attention from his internal problems at the expense of Israel,” Sa’ar said on X. He warned that such initiatives could jeopardize “the critical negotiations for the release of the hostages, as has already happened in the past.”
Sa’ar emphasized that “no arrangements in Gaza will be formulated without Israel’s consent,” pointing to what he described as France’s “astonishing hypocrisy” given its insistence that “the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
European diplomats maintained that Israel and the United States had been kept informed about the Paris agenda.
A French source said the talks would aim to align international positions around reconstruction and governance in Gaza. An Italian official added that supporting Trump’s proposal was “the only plan possible.”
The US Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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