We welcome France’s good intentions to play a significant role in resolving international crises and seeking a definitive solution to end hostilities in the Middle East. However, the process adopted by President Emmanuel Macron and French parliamentarians is unsuitable and unfeasible after the terrible event of October 7, 2023. Since that horrific pogrom, everything has changed. The geopolitical situation has completely changed, and the overwhelming majority of Israelis are fiercely opposed to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. How can we currently imagine the creation of a new terrorist state in the pay of the Islamists? Israelis reject diktat, unnecessary risks, and suicide.
The cancellation of the visit to Israel by 17 French parliamentarians from left-wing parties indeed exposes trickery. We deplore the boycott but also the role of the French Consulate General in Jerusalem, which for several years has transformed itself into a veritable “diplomatic representation of Palestine.” An invitation to elected officials must be made in coordination with the Knesset. As such, their intentions were not to engage in dialogue “to strengthen culture and peace,” but to provoke and sow discord, and to demonstrate violently against Israeli policy.
The French president’s megalomania seems to blind him to the reality on the ground and the explosive situation in the Middle East. It is the cause of a mercantile and pro-Arab policy that has not changed since 1967. This policy, in favor of the Arab-Muslim world, has failed, yet Macron persists and continues.
Without prior and serious consultation with the Israeli government, and unaware that the State of Israel represents the only democratic bastion in the Middle East, Macron launched a peace plan that clearly defines the final status before even being able to negotiate all the issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Of course, Macron will still have the approval of the Arab world, the UN, and the majority of the world’s nations, but will this plan be feasible without the agreement and signature of the Israeli government?
In this context, how dare Macron imagine the creation of a Palestinian state without a single legal-political attribute? Is an IDF withdrawal from Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem the solution? Who will lead this new state? Hamas, which already has a strong presence in Jenin and Hebron? Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, 89 years old? How can we not first condemn a Palestinian leader who continues to support incitement to hatred and terrorist acts by paying salaries to the perpetrators and their families? How can we not expose human rights violations, torture in Palestinian prisons, corruption, and the lack of transparency within Abbas’s government? Macron talks about reform within the Palestinian Authority, but has he been able to implement reforms in his own country?
Weren’t the Oslo Accords a resounding failure? Has Macron not yet grasped the meaning of the pro-Palestinian slogans chanted in street demonstrations, on campuses, in Paris, and in the provinces, chanting: “Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea?”
It is clear that the creation of a Palestinian state is becoming a dangerous solution and an existential threat to Israel. It will encourage Islamist organizations to continue terrorist and antisemitic acts in Europe, particularly in France. Macron will therefore have to thoroughly study the geopolitical consequences and intercommunal repercussions before offering Abbas an independent state without the latter making a single concession or any reform. The Palestinian leader prefers to continue receiving European financial aid to distribute it to his close associates. Recently, he dared to inaugurate a gigantic ultra-modern shopping center in Ramallah, ignoring the misery and distress of his own people.
By denouncing Israeli policy in advance, does Macron really think he can fulfill the role of arbiter? Terrorists couldn’t care less about the Cartesian spirit or symbolic diplomacy. They despise the weak and fear the language of force. In the Middle Eastern jungle, only the strongest wins on all fronts. In reality, Macron lacks the means to implement his policy. He demonstrates France’s disconnection from the realities of the Middle East and ignorance of developments in the Levant.
Macron hopes to convene a grandiose international conference in a few weeks, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). During his last trip to Riyadh, he signed a strategic partnership with him that will allow the two countries to increase cooperation in all areas, particularly in defense. It’s worth noting that during his last trip to Cairo, Macron’s France, which seeks peace and stability in our region, also signed new arms contracts with Egypt.
Is being both an arms dealer and a peaceful mediator really compatible with French logic?
157 states voted for the creation of a Palestinian state despite the firm opposition of the United States and the strong reluctance of several Western countries, notably members of the G7. Macron hopes to convince his American counterpart of his good intentions and links the Palestinian problem to a grand deal that would allow the reconstruction of Gaza, normalization with Saudi Arabia and a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
Moreover, the Trump administration’s negotiations with the Iranians come without surprise, but they are of great concern to the Israelis. For the time being, it is ruling out the military option. Having long been nurtured within the inner circle, the ayatollahs are cunning and very skilled negotiators. They have proven, time and again, their ability to cheat and conceal their nuclear sites. Their country is on the brink of collapse, and popular discontent is growing; they want to gain time and calm things down.
An agreement with the West will abolish sanctions, avert any attempted revolt against the Islamic regime, and, above all, would prevent an Israeli attack. Therefore, the Americans must be vigilant and refuse to sign a partial agreement on the nuclear issue.
The Iranian threat is global and concerns several issues, including support for Islamist terrorist groups and numerous ballistic missiles. However, during these negotiations, which are taking place under the auspices of the Sultan of Oman, the Americans are naturally informing the Israelis about the progress of the conversations, unlike the previous negotiations which took place in 2015 under the Obama administration.
To resolve Middle Eastern conflicts, Israel prefers to have a strong ally who has proven himself in times of crisis. We sincerely hope that U.S. President Donald Trump will not take Macron’s counterproductive intentions in the Middle East seriously.
