French Ambassador to Israel ‘We Want Hamas Disarmed and Out of Governance’

In a powerful interview aimed at calming tensions and reaffirming France’s stance, French Ambassador to Israel Frédéric Journès made it unequivocally clear: France does not support Hamas, and any future Palestinian state must exclude the terror group from power.

“We are not supporting Hamas,” Journès told on Wednesday. “We want them out of governance, we want them disarmed, and we don’t want them to have any role in the future Palestinian state.”

Journès' remarks come amid criticism following French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood. While some perceived the move as appeasement, the ambassador argued it is a strategic step meant to isolate Hamas, not empower it. “When Hamas praises progress on something, it usually means the opposite,” he said. “They have always hated the two-state solution because they want to wipe Israel off the map.”

Highlighting what he calls a major shift among Arab and Muslim nations, Journès emphasized that many regional powers now support removing Hamas from power and participating in Gaza’s stabilization. He pointed to the French-Saudi initiative at the UN and noted that Arab countries had supported a resolution condemning Hamas’s October 7 attack and backing Israel’s legitimacy.

Journès outlined a vision for a future Palestinian state that is demilitarized, accountable, and governed by leaders who reject terror. Key conditions include free elections, vetted candidates, the dismantling of the “pay-for-slay” system, and international oversight mechanisms to ensure security.

He proposed a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, backed by international monitors and a dramatic expansion of humanitarian aid to combat smuggling and profiteering. “We are offering the people of Israel a situation where they can reach a ceasefire, followed by the deployment of an international security mechanism in Gaza, which includes the release of all the hostages,” he stressed.

Journès, who has spent two years living in Israel, reflected emotionally on the human toll of the war. Having experienced 119 rocket alerts, attended funerals, and personally known victims, he speaks not as a distant diplomat, but as someone deeply embedded in Israeli society.

His message is clear: France seeks not to lecture, but to partner with the moral imperative of securing peace, rescuing hostages, and restoring dignity to the region. “For God’s sake, this is so important for the Jewish people to bring back the hostages, to bring back the bodies, so that their families can say Kaddish, can sit shiva.”

“What I love about Israel is that you argue with your friends,” he said. “Disagreement is not hostility.” But, he warned, the cost of inaction is too high for Israel and for the world.

“We can go beyond the horrors of October 7,” he concluded. “We can’t sacrifice the well-being of the Israeli people or the future of their children just because we’re too afraid to work for lasting peace.”

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