“The grief over all the civilian victims of this week’s attacks and their mourning families is immense,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in an address to the Lebanese people. But his emphasis on "civilian victims" has sparked backlash.
Critics argue this was a targeted strike on terrorists, with minimal civilian casualties. "He doesn’t mention the terrorists killed," a French journalist told me. "He only expresses sorrow for innocent victims."
France has officially acknowledged that the majority of casualties were Hezbollah members, and refrained from labeling the operation a "war crime." Macron’s plea for peace, addressing the Lebanese in their own language, called for an end to the violence. "Lebanon cannot live in the shadow of impending war," he said. He’s right, of course. But neither can Israel continue to tolerate the Iranian-backed terrorist group festering at its northern border. Israel has shown restraint for far too long.
It doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict Macron’s response if northern France had to evacuate because a terrorist entity had taken over Belgium, firing rockets daily and turning the region into a war zone. Belgium would be in flames. It’s not that Western nations are always appeasing the so-called "Axis of Evil," but there’s a consistent tendency to appease threats against Israel.
Still, as French-Israeli adviser to Macron, Ofer Bronstein, told me yesterday, "France is pressuring Lebanon, fighting antisemitism more than any other country, and trade between France and Israel has increased by 120% in the last three years." According to Bronstein, the call for a ceasefire isn’t about saving Hezbollah but about preventing suffering for both peoples.
Yet, as a senior Israeli diplomat told me, France’s trustworthiness, already shaky, took a hit with the shocking ban on Israel’s participation in a major arms exhibition. This, combined with France’s recent vote at the UN alongside the automatic anti-Israel bloc and its support for the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s demand for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant—essentially equating Hamas with Israel—has only added fuel to the fire.
So yes, France is a friend, but one that doesn’t stop kicking. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, public resistance to Hezbollah is growing. Lebanese journalist Issa Ghoraieb published an article just yesterday, addressing Nasrallah: "We’ve shown human solidarity for your people who were harmed, but don’t be mistaken—we have no solidarity for the war you’re dragging us into."
Hamas supporters have historically used false justifications like the blockade and occupation to excuse their brutal attacks on Israel. Hezbollah doesn’t even have those excuses. And yet, we know by now it doesn’t matter how justified Israel is—the criticism always falls on us. The woke worldview, where the weak are automatically righteous, has long since left the radical fringes and seeped into mainstream discourse.
Israel can’t afford another military campaign that’s politically disastrous, no matter how justified. A smarter strategy would have served us well. After last week’s justified blows against Hezbollah, Israel could have declared a unilateral, week-long ceasefire. No operations. No bombings. Just one demand: the immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, requiring Hezbollah’s withdrawal beyond the Litani River.
Hezbollah, we know, would say no. But what would Biden and Macron say? Would they oppose the most significant international resolution regarding Lebanon? Instead of clashing with Macron and Biden, Netanyahu could have told them, "You’re right. Here’s your ceasefire." And if Hezbollah continued firing rockets, as they likely would, Israel’s legitimacy for a military response would only grow internationally.
Such a move wouldn’t show weakness; on the contrary, it would strengthen Israel’s position. Last week, Nasrallah received the hardest blow of his career, but there’s no room for euphoria. Hezbollah’s firepower remains intact. A barrage of thousands of rockets on Israel won’t be a picnic, and a ground invasion would be far from easy.
To defend itself, Israel needs the support of the United States. That support is achievable with a bit more finesse. Israel has avoided escalation for nearly a year; a week-long ceasefire wouldn’t harm us militarily, but it would boost our diplomatic standing. Despite all the justified grievances against France and other countries, Israel has made countless diplomatic blunders that have led to its current isolation. The fallout from the Hamas war was bad enough; there’s no need to repeat the same mistakes with Hezbollah.