French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an expansion of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group to include the fight against Hamas, following the October 7 assault on Israel. Macron made this statement after holding talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. He emphasized the need for a “decisive relaunch” of the Palestinian peace process in response to the actions of Hamas and Israel’s declaration of war against the group.
Some western powers have concerns about leaving Israel in sole charge of fighting Hamas, since an unconstrained campaign has the potential to turn into a regional conflagration with reverberations in European capitals.
The French president, who met families of French victims at Tel Aviv airport, insisted freeing the hostages without distinction was the first priority, remarks that implicitly suggested that he, in common with other western leaders, would like Israel to hold off from a large-scale ground operation.
Macron, who cautioned about the risks of a regional conflict, also said the fight against Hamas “must be without mercy but not without rules”.
Netanyahu said the fight was a battle between the “axis of evil” and “the free world” without commenting directly on Macron’s proposal. “This battle is not merely our own … it’s everybody’s battle,” he said. Arab foreign ministries expressed surprise at the Macron proposal, especially since many said they had not been consulted. French President Emmanuel
Macron said Hamas had killed its 1,400 victims in its 7 October rampage because they were Jewish and “wanted to live in peace”. The dead included 30 French citizens, and it is thought nine French citizens are being held hostage by Hamas.