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French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Israel to stop bombing Gaza, where he says it is killing women and babies.
To the BBC, in an interview at the Elysée Palace, Macron saysthat although France condemns the actions of the Islamist group “Hamas” against Israel, the bombings “have no justification” and the Jewish state would benefit from a cease-fire.
Macron declined to comment on whether international law had been violated, but his words marked a shift in stance from a country that had expressed support for “Israel’s right to defend itself.” Hours earlier, criticism also came from United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
“We call on them to stop these bombings,” Macron said, calling for a ceasefire. Asked if he wanted other leaders like Britain and the US to join calls for a ceasefire, he said: “I hope they do.”
‘Too many Palestinians killed’: unusual US warning to Israel
“There is no solution other than a humanitarian pause, which turns into a ceasefire, which will allow us to protect … all civilians who have nothing to do with terrorists,” Macron said, referring to the consensus among countries participating in the humanitarian conference in Paris this week.
In fact today, civilians are being bombed – in fact. These babies, these ladies, these elderly people are being bombed and killed. There is no reason and no legitimacy for it. We call on Israel to stop.
Emmanuel Macron,
president of France
He assures that he would not allow himself to comment on the question of whether there are violations of international law, given that Israel is a “partner and friend”, just a month after the attack against him. At the same time, the French leader expressed his disagreement with the idea that the best way for Israel to defend itself is “with a massive bombardment of Gaza”.
2023-11-10 21:31:44
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