{"id":36771,"date":"2024-10-07T12:32:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T19:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=36771"},"modified":"2024-10-07T12:32:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T19:32:27","slug":"macron-faces-backlash-after-demand-for-israel-arms-embargo-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/07\/macron-faces-backlash-after-demand-for-israel-arms-embargo-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Macron faces backlash after demand for Israel arms embargo in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The French president was criticized by members of his own party, as well as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"TOPSHOT-FRANCE-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-POLITICS-CONFLICT-CEREMONY\"\/
The French president\u2019s comments were broadcast on French radio France Inter two days before the commemorations of the Oct. 7 attacks. | Gonzalo Fuentes\/AFP via Getty Images<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

OCTOBER 7, 2024\u00a0 (Politico.eu)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY LAURA KAYALI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARIS \u2014 Emmanuel Macron is facing criticism from both inside and outside France for saying<\/a> that deliveries of weapons used by Israel in Gaza should be stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the weekend, the French president’s comments were condemned by members of his own party, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who directly addressed them in a blistering video statement<\/a> that slammed Western leaders calling for an arms embargo. “Shame on them,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, one of France\u2019s closest military allies also rejected Macron’s position. Asked whether he agreed with the French head of state’s view, United Kingdom Defense Secretary John Healey\u00a0told Sky News<\/a>: “No, we work a different system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London suspended the sale<\/a> of a raft of arms components being used by Israel in Gaza after concluding there is a real risk weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law, but has refused to support a full arms blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the controversy, the French president\u2019s comments were broadcast on French radio France Inter two days before the commemorations of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants, who killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In retaliation, Israel launched a war on Gaza that has so far killed <\/strong>41,500 people<\/a>, many of them civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron’s call for an arms embargo echoes similar pleas made in the past year by NGOs<\/a> and lawmakers such as U.K. Labour MPs<\/a> and French left-wing MPs<\/a>, as well as high-profile politicians including United States Senator Bernie Sanders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, a court in the Netherlands required<\/a> the Dutch government to halt shipments of components for F-35 fighter jets to the Israeli government because of its continued assault on Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divisive in France<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In France, which has one of Europe’s largest Jewish communities and also a large Muslim minority, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict\u00a0has been especially divisive<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel should \u201cnot be disarmed,\u201d and should \u201cstay in full capacity of being able to defend itself,” the speaker of the National Assembly, Ya\u00ebl Braun-Pivet, who is from Macron\u2019s Renaissance party, argued on Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her pushback was echoed across the French political spectrum. Hard-right lawmaker Eric Ciotti condemned a \u201cpolitical error\u201d that \u201cweakens Israel at a time when it is surrounded by hostile Islamist dictatorships<\/a>,\u201d while Socialist MP Emmanuel Gr\u00e9goire slammed<\/a> Macron’s \u201cunwelcome\u201d proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael’s reaction is perfectly understandable,\u201d conceded<\/a> Jean-Ren\u00e9 Cazeneuve, an MP from the French president’s camp, referring to Netanyahu’s furious response<\/a>. However, he broadly agreed with Macron, saying that \u201cthe violence of [Israel’s] response is creating generations of Palestinians who will fight tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June, United Nations experts warned that countries and companies sending weapons to Israel risked<\/a> “complicity in international crimes, possibly including genocide.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington \u2014 Israel’s largest arms provider<\/a> \u2014 did pause deliveries of some heavy bombs to Israel in May over its offensive in Gaza, but the flow of other military equipment has continued. Berlin has reportedly quietly<\/a> slowed down approvals of war weapons exports this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified by name, told POLITICO that criticism by the Europeans doesn\u2019t deter Netanyahu. \u201cIt actually helps him with his core supporters \u2014 it underlines how he is Israel\u2019s champion. That\u2019s why he pushes back so forcefully on Macron or others and always will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important relationship for Israel is with the U.S., its main arms supplier, not Europe, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Matt Honeycombe-Foster from London and Clea Caulcutt and Anthony Lattier from Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The French president was criticized by members of his own party, as well as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. OCTOBER 7, 2024\u00a0 (Politico.eu) BY LAURA KAYALI PARIS \u2014 Emmanuel Macron is facing criticism from both inside and outside France for saying that deliveries of weapons used by Israel in Gaza should be stopped. Over the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36771"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36772,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36771\/revisions\/36772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}