Macron weighs sanctions on Israel amid Gaza war criticism

Macron previously suggested that France could use an upcoming United Nations meeting to officially recognize a Palestinian state, making it the first major Western power to do so.

By JNS

French President Emmanuel Macron signaled that France may soon toughen its stance on Israel, citing ongoing concerns over the war in Gaza, i24NEWS reported on Thursday.

Speaking alongside Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Élysée Palace, Macron said France would decide “in the coming days” whether to escalate its response and implement “concrete measures” against Israel.

The comments come amid rising diplomatic tensions between France and Israel. Macron’s increasingly vocal criticism of Israel’s military operations has drawn strong rebuke from Jerusalem, which accuses the French president of siding with Hamas and spreading falsehoods about humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Lula, currently on a state visit to France, went further, accusing Israel of carrying out “a premeditated genocide” and describing international recognition of a Palestinian state as both a “moral and human duty.”

Brazil officially recognized Palestinian statehood in 2010 and has called for renewed international pressure to achieve a two-state solution.

The joint appearance in Paris comes ahead of a United Nations-backed conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled to begin on June 17 in New York.

The summit aims to lay the groundwork for Palestinian statehood and revitalize diplomatic efforts around a two-state framework.

Macron previously suggested that France could use the occasion to officially recognize a Palestinian state, a step that would make it the first major Western power to do so.

Israel has strongly condemned these developments.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously accused Macron of echoing “blood libels” and aligning with Hamas, especially after Macron described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “shameful” during a French TV interview.

Israeli officials have warned that unilateral recognition of Palestine undermines peace and rewards terrorism. They have also intimated that recognition of a Palestinian state might lead Israel to claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria in retaliation.

In a mocking response, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested Macron could “carve out a Palestinian state from the French Riviera,” while Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli likened the French leader to the head of the PLO.