Israeli President Isaac Herzog (R) meets visiting French President Emanuel Macron at his residence in Jerusalem on October 24, 2023 (Amos Ben-Gershom / GPO).
French president calls for targeted operations, says France has directly warned Hezbollah; both leaders demand immediate release of all hostages from Gaza.
Hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Jerusalem on Tuesday, President Isaac Herzog said that Israel is “committed to overcome, and we are committed to destroying our enemies.”
“The situation is extremely complicated and fragile,” said Herzog, regarding the war against Hamas, launched after the terror group massacred 1,400 people in southern Israel on October 7 and took some 220 hostage. Herzog stressed that “we are demanding the full and immediate release of all our citizens.”
“There is no difference between Israeli citizens and someone who holds another citizenship,” said the president, after reports emerged that dozens of hostages with foreign citizenship could be released.
Herzog also warned Iran is “playing with fire” in Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price. Lebanon cannot be a sovereign member of the international community, its citizens carrying a Lebanese passport, but when it comes to attacking Israel, they are not responsible.”
Speaking in English, Macron seemed to disagree with Herzog on the scale of Israel’s response, saying that the terrorist organizations must be struck, but Israel must carry out a “targeted operation.”
“You can fight without hesitation,” he said, “but without widening the conflict. A targeted operation is essential.”
It wasn’t fully clear whether he was referring to Herzog’s comments about Lebanon or Israel’s plans for a major ground offensive into Gaza, or both.
Macron added that France warned “other potential terrorist groups wanting to join this operation” to stay out of the fight, and “clearly warned Hezbollah with direct messages.”
“The first objective we should have today is the release of all hostages, without any distinction, because this is an awful crime to play with these lives of children, adults, old people, civilians and soldiers,” Macron said.
“I want to make sure you are not left alone in this war on terrorism,” he continued, “because I speak on behalf of a country which experienced terrorist attacks, and you were there. And I think this is our duty to fight against this terrorism, without any confusion, without enlarging the conflict.”
Macron then began a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning to express his country’s “full solidarity” with the Jewish state after the deadly October 7 massacres by Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Macron headed to Tel Aviv, where he met with families of French and French-Israeli nationals killed in the Hamas onslaught or being held hostage by terrorists in Gaza.
His visit comes more than two weeks after thousands of Palestinian terrorists stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death in their homes and at an outdoor music festival. Among them were 30 French citizens.
At least 224 people were also taken into Gaza as captives.
Seven French citizens are still missing: One of them, a French woman, has been confirmed as among the hostages taken by Hamas. Macron has said the others are also thought to be hostages, but there has not yet been confirmation.
Macron and Netanyahu were due to hold a joint press conference at 1 p.m. Israel time.
The French head of state was also due to meet in Jerusalem with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and now-minister Benny Gantz, whose opposition National Unity party joined the coalition to form an emergency war cabinet.
Macron was also expected to travel to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. There will also probably be exchanges with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and leaders of Gulf nations, the Elysee said.
He was expected to call for the “preservation of the civilian population” in Gaza, amid Israel’s heavy bombardment of Hamas targets and as the IDF prepares for a ground operation inside the Strip with the aim of vanquishing the terror group.
More than 5,000 people have died during Israel’s attacks, according to unverified numbers given by the Hamas-run health ministry. They are believed to include its own fighters and the victims of hundreds of misfired Palestinian rockets Israel says have landed in Gaza since October 7, including one that hit a hospital parking lot and killed scores of civilians.
Israel says its offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.
Macron will in particular call for a “humanitarian truce” to allow urgent aid into Gaza, whose 2.4 million people are in need of water, food, electricity and other basic supplies after an Israel-led blockade, the Elysee Palace said.
The French president also aims to continue efforts “to avoid a dangerous escalation in the region,” the Elysee said, amid growing alarm over swelling cross-border exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
Macron will propose relaunching a “true peace process,” with the aim of creating a viable Palestinian state in exchange for guarantees from regional powers relating to Israel’s security.
The French leader was expected to return home Tuesday evening.
US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have already visited Israel since the war began.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) hosts French President Emmanuel Macron at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, January 22, 2020. (Koby Gideon/GPO/File).
