Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, Emmanuel Macron declared that he would only go to Israel if there was “a useful agenda and very concrete actions to advance.” He finally decided to travel to Tel Aviv, this Tuesday, in a visit that divides French political wings.
The French president will visit the families of the 30 French citizens who died in the Hamas attack on October 7, and those of the seven alleged hostages.
The trip therefore acquires a political dimension, since the President travels to a country at war and, therefore, not without risks, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, and the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet.
The visit could freeze France’s image as “unconditional” support for Israel, according to the phrase used in the first days after the Hamas attack, and which became difficult to defend in the face of criticism from the left-wing opposition.
According to analysts, there is a double internal and external danger, which brings Emmanuel Macron to Israel this Tuesday. The first danger has to do with what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the imminent Israeli ground operation. As other Western countries have done, France has timidly asked Israel to respect international humanitarian law. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the violence in the Middle East.
“As Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna highlighted in Cairo this weekend, the distribution of aid requires humanitarian truces that could lead to a ceasefire. We call for these truces as soon as possible. It is an important point, therefore “I denounce the countertruths spread, in particular, by Russian propaganda: in the Security Council, France supported Brazil’s draft resolution in this regard.”
Regarding the French hostages, France will try to activate relations with Qatar, which plays the role of mediator with Hamas and obtained the release of the first two American hostages. Emmanuel Macron will try to find the words and gestures to make this visit “useful” and not just symbolic.
Source: TSF
