French President Macron Rebukes Netanyahu, Calls for Peace Path

In a rare and strongly worded public letter, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon what he described as a “desperate race of a murderous and illegal permanent war in Gaza” and to embrace a new path toward peace through the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Released by the Élysée Palace on August 26, Macron’s letter came in response to Netanyahu’s accusations that France’s recognition of a Palestinian state had emboldened antisemitism. Macron rejected the charge as “unacceptable” and “an offence to France as a whole,” while affirming his country’s historic and ongoing efforts to combat Jew-hatred.

“The fight against antisemitism must not be weaponized,” Macron stated. “It will not fuel any discord between Israel and France.”

He cited France’s robust record, including adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, passing legislation to combat Jew-hatred on campuses, and deploying 15,000 police officers to protect Jewish institutions after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which claimed over 50 French lives.

Yet Macron warned that Israel’s current course military reoccupation of Gaza, forced displacement, and expansion of settlements was not only morally troubling but strategically dangerous. “These actions will only make your country more isolated,” Macron wrote, “embolden those who use them as a pretext for antisemitism, and endanger Jewish communities around the world.”

At the core of Macron’s letter was a passionate appeal for a ceasefire and the revival of a two-state solution. He argued that nearly two years of military operations in Gaza have shown that Israel’s security cannot rest on force alone, and that only a demilitarized Palestinian state can truly dismantle Hamas and ensure peace for Israel’s future generations.

“We are convinced that this is today the only way to truly eradicate Hamas and ensure Israel’s young people are not consumed by a permanent war,” he said.

The French president also highlighted the UN-backed “Day After” plan, supported by France and Saudi Arabia, that proposes international oversight of Gaza’s security, disarmament of terror groups, and reconstruction under new Palestinian leadership.

Macron condemned Hamas in unequivocal terms, calling the October 7 atrocities a “barbaric” assault, but warned Netanyahu not to fall into Hamas’s “trap” by making irreversible decisions that would prolong conflict for decades.

He closed the letter with a final plea: “France will always be a friend of Israel and the Palestinians. I solemnly appeal to you to take the outstretched hand of international partners ready to work towards peace.”

In this moment of global uncertainty, Macron’s message reminds the world that friendship can coexist with candor and that peace, while elusive, remains possible if courageous choices are made.

Support informed perspectives on Israel’s future share this article or subscribe to our newsletter today.