Paris, March 24 – French President Emmanuel Macron today warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Rafah would constitute a war crime, according to a statement issued by the Elysee Palace.
The French presidency reviewed the phone conversation held by the leaders on Sunday, in which Macron reminded his interlocutor of the obligations arising from international law.
In a permanent agreement with Al-Masdar, the head of state assured Netanyahu of his “firm opposition” to the attack on Rafah, the city where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are seeking refuge after the destruction caused by Israel in the past six months in Gaza. The sector in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7.
The Prime Minister appears prepared to order the attack, despite the refusal of the international community, including a request from his ally the United States not to do so, due to the more catastrophic humanitarian consequences it would bring.
Netanyahu claims that his country will not be in a position to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah, in a conflict that is already blamed for the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, many of them children.
In the conversation, Macron would have insisted on the need for an “immediate and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the Elysee, he also expressed his rejection of Israel's recent announcements regarding its colonization of the occupied West Bank, following the decision to confiscate 800 hectares of Palestinian land to build new settlements. (Text and photo: PL)
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