Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chastised Emmanuel Macron for calling for a Western arms embargo on Israel’s military operation to root out Hamas terrorists in Gaza, branding the French president’s comments as a “disgrace” while vowing that Jerusalem will prevail in its fight with or without support from Paris or other fickle allies.
Israel is defending itself and civilization as a whole against those who would “impose a dark age of fanaticism” on the world, Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Saturday in a video response to France’s Macron, who revealed that France has cut off arms supplies to Israel and urged Western powers to “stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza”.
“President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said.
“Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together. But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel. What a disgrace!” he declared.
Netanyahu argued that particularly in the wake of this week’s direct missile attack by the Islamist Iranian regime, it is incumbent upon “all civilized countries” to stand by Israel’s side in the conflict.
Nevertheless, the Israeli leader said that his country will prevail regardless, saying: “Israel will win with or without their support. But their shame will continue long after the war is won.”
“Rest assured, Israel will fight until the battle is won — for our sake and for the sake of peace and security in the world,” Netanyahu vowed.
It is not the first time that a diplomatic row erupted between Paris and Jerusalem over comments made by the French leader. In November of last year, Macron appeared to suggest that Israel was intentionally targeting “babies” and women as it sought to eradicate the Islamist Hamas terrorists from Gaza in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks which saw over 1,200 people murdered and hundreds more taken hostage from Israel.
Condemning the comments from his French counterpart, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that world leaders should be condemning Hamas for civilian casualties in Gaza, noting that the Islamist terror group often uses Palestinian people as “human shields” while “Israel does everything in its power to avoid harming civilians and urges them to leave the battle areas”.
According to the office of Israeli President, Macron later attempted to “clarify” his position in a call with Jerusalem, reportedly saying that he did not mean to suggest that Israel was intentionally targeting civilians and that he supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
Macron is not alone among major European power to cut arms deliveries to Israel. Last month, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that London halted 30 arms license contracts with Israel, claiming that there were concerns that British-made components were being used to violate the human rights of the people in Gaza.
Amid its multi-front conflict, Israel has received some support from Europe, however, with populist Geert Wilders, the main power player behind the Dutch government, writing for Breitbart this week that patriots in Europe should stand with the Jewish state, arguing that it stands as an example for nationalists throughout the world in the face of encroaching globalist hegemony.
“That is exactly why the Left hates it. Because it is the reborn nation-state. That is why we stand with Israel. Not just because it is the frontline against the totalitarian threat of Islam, not only because we support the Jewish homeland in their fight for existence, but also because it is a beacon for nations striving to maintain their national identity,” Wilders wrote.
