A day after French President Emmanuel Macron called for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel on weapons being used in the war in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with him on the phone on Sunday.
The Prime Minister's Office reported that Netanyahu "reiterated Israel's position that given Iran's support for all parts of its axis of terrorism, Israel expects its friends to stand behind it and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen the Iranian axis of evil."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's message to French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday night
(Photo: Spokesperson, Prime Minister's Office)
It was also reported that "Israel's actions against Hezbollah are creating an opportunity to change the reality in Lebanon in favor of stability, security and peace in the entire region."
The two leaders agreed to advance dialogue on the issue during the visit of the French Foreign Minister, who is scheduled to come to Israel, according to the PMO statement.
Later, the Elysee Palace also published a statement about the telephone conversation between the two leaders, and it was described by Paris as an "honest" conversation. Macron, it was reported, told Netanyahu that "arms shipments, extending the war in Gaza and extending it to Lebanon" will not provide Israel with the security it desires. Macro also told Netanyahu that it was necessary to reach a cease-fire immediately. "We must immediately take decisive action that will allow us to advance the political solutions that are necessary for the security of Israel and everyone in the Middle East," Macron reportedly said.
The conversation between Netanyahu and Macron comes after the public exchange between the two men Saturday night. Netanyahu, who was enraged at Macron's call for an arms embargo, published a videotaped statement in which he said his "shame will continue long after the war is won."
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Prime Minister Benjamin NEtanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron
(Photos: Christophe Ena / POOL / AFP, Ludovic Marin / AFP)
In the video, Netanyahu said in comments directed at Macron that Israel is fighting on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization, and "yet President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them. 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! Israel will win with or without their support."
An official at the Elysee Palace responded Saturday night to Netanyahu's words and said: "Macron is committed to Israel's security and demonstrates it. France mobilized its military resources in the face of the Iranian attack on October 1, as it had already done in April. The French president personally told the Iranian president about his attachment to Israel's security. He reiterated that France will not allow Iran or any of its representatives to attack Israel."
According to him, Macron "believes that an immediate cease-fire is necessary in Gaza as in Lebanon, in order to curb the increase in violence, release the hostages, protect the populations and find political solutions necessary for the security of Israel and everyone in the Middle East. In this context, the president calls for an end to the export of weapons intended for use in Gaza. We must return to diplomatic solutions. France is an unwavering friend of Israel. Netanyahu's words are exaggerated and not related to the friendship between France and Israel."
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is on a four-day trip to the Middle East. Paris is seeking to play a role in reviving diplomatic efforts as the Gaza war has widened to Lebanon.
Government officials were not surprised by Macron's words, which are a direct continuation of the French line, which already supported the non-binding resolution initiated by the Palestinians at the UN General Assembly on September 18, which called for the imposition of an arms embargo on Israel. France has not supplied weapons or military systems to Israel since the beginning of the war, and the weapons it provided in the past were also marginal and insignificant to the Israeli fighting effort.
In the last decade, France annually exported military equipment to Israel amounting to 20 million euros. This is a drop in the ocean, considering the fact that France is in second place in the world in defense exports after the U.S. and its defense exports were estimated at 27 billion euros in 2022. Most of the things sold before the war were electronic components such as infrared sights and thermal sensors. About 700 defense licenses were granted for export to Israel per year.
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