International

Israel must stop killing babies, women in Gaza – Emmanuel Macron

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2023

France President, Emmanuel Macron

Israel must stop killing babies, women in Gaza – Emmanuel Macron

In an exclusive interview at the Élysée Palace, he said there was “no justification” for the bombing, saying a ceasefire would benefit Israel.

While recognising Israel’s right to protect itself, “we do urge them to stop this bombing” in Gaza, he said.

But he also stressed that France “clearly condemns” the “terrorist” actions of Hamas.

France – like Israel, the US, the UK, and other Western nations – considers Hamas a terrorist organisation.

When asked if he wanted other leaders – including in the US and the UK – to join his calls for a ceasefire, he replied: “I hope they will.”

Israel says it attacks military targets in line with international law and takes steps to reduce civilian casualties, like issuing warnings ahead of strikes and calling on people to evacuate.

Speaking the day after a humanitarian aid conference in Paris about the war in Gaza, Mr Macron said the “clear conclusion” of all governments and agencies present at that summit was “that there is no other solution than first a humanitarian pause, going to a ceasefire, which will allow [us] to protect… all civilians having nothing to do with terrorists”.

“De facto – today, civilians are bombed – de facto. These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed. So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy. So we do urge Israel to stop.”

He said it was not his role to judge whether international law had been broken.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded quickly to Mr Macron’s comments, saying nations should condemn Hamas, not Israel.

“The crimes that Hamas [is] committing today in Gaza will be committed tomorrow in Paris, New York and anywhere in the world,” a statement from Mr Netanyahu’s office read.

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In a wide-ranging interview at the end of the first day of an annual Paris Peace Forum, President Macron also discussed:

Fears of violence spilling over from the Middle East into France, urging citizens of all faiths to be “united against antisemitism”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it was France’s “duty” to help Ukraine – but suggesting there may come a time for “fair and good negotiations” with Moscow
Extremism online, saying Facebook’s parent company Meta and Google “just don’t deliver” on moderation
And the dangers of climate change, saying it was pushing people around the world toward “terrorism”.

Starting by discussing Gaza, Mr Macron said France “clearly condemns” Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October which sparked the war. Hamas gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage in its unprecedented cross-border assault it launched that day.

“We do share [Israel’s] pain. And we do share their willingness to get rid of terrorism. We know what terrorism means in France.” But he said there was “no justification” for the ongoing bombing of civilians in Gaza.

“It’s extremely important for all of us because of our principles, because we are democracies. It’s important for the mid-to-long run as well for the security of Israel itself, to recognise that all lives matter.”

When asked, he refused to say that Israel had broken international law in Gaza. “I’m not a judge. I’m a head of state,” he said, adding it would not be right to criticise Israel in this way – “a partner and a friend” – just a month after it was attacked.

But Mr Macron said he disagreed that the best way for Israel to “protect [itself] is having a large bombing of Gaza”, saying it was creating “resentment and bad feelings” in the region that would prolong the conflict.

After a month of Israeli bombardment and nearly two weeks after Israel launched a major ground offensive into the territory, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Friday that 11,078 people had been killed, while 1.5 million had fled their homes.

Israel has said it will start daily four-hour military pauses in parts of northern Gaza as it continues its offensive. Its defence minister however stressed the pauses would be “localised” and would “not detract from the war fighting”.

Condemn antisemitism ‘without ambiguity’

Ahead of a march against antisemitism on Sunday which a large section of France’s political class will attend, President Macron called on all French citizens to condemn antisemitic acts “without ambiguity”.

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He said France had probably Europe’s biggest Muslim community and a big Jewish community too, and with France and the rest of Europe seeing a big rise in antisemitism, all French citizens had to be united against antisemitism, and had to “share the pain or the compassion of Palestinians”.

Mr Macron then moved on to other global issues, including Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

He said if Russia were allowed to win its war, “you will have a new imperial power” in Europe, that could threaten other former Soviet states like Georgia and Kazakhstan, as well as the whole continent.

“Because, definitely, it’s imperialism and colonialism that Russia is doing [in Ukraine],” he said.

The French president said it was the “duty” of his country and all countries to support Ukraine in its defence. But he also said the next month would be critical, as it struggles to retake lost land in counteroffensive operations.

He said it was “not yet” time for Ukraine to come to the table, and stressed the decision to negotiate was Kyiv’s alone. But he added there may come a time to “have fair and good negotiations, and to come back to the table and find a solution with Russia”.

Mr Macron also discussed online extremism – a key topic at the Paris Peace Forum. He singled out Facebook’s parent company Meta and Google, saying the companies “simply don’t deliver” on promises they made to moderate hate speech on their platforms.

He said many online platforms lacked sufficient moderators for French language content, calling it a “shame”, and promising to “push them” on the issue – although he said TikTok had improved the number of moderators for its French language content.

And he said that climate change was causing terrorism in parts of the world, specifically mentioning the effects of global warming in lower water levels at Lake Chad in West Africa.

“As a consequence of climate change, a lot of families living as fishermen [suffered]… A lot of species just disappeared. And it created politics [that] pushed a lot of people to terrorism.”

But when asked if he ever felt depressed by the sheer number of issues facing the world, Mr Macron said he saw it as “a chance and an honour to have responsibilities [as head of state]”.

“We need international cooperation [to tackle global issues]… This is a unique chance.”

Israel must stop killing babies, women in Gaza – Emmanuel Macron

Source: BBC

Related Topics:Featured Gaza Israel Macron

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Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

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Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

Two people have died and 18 others were injured after a small plane crashed into a commercial building in southern California, officials say.

Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries, the Fullerton Police Department said in a post on X on Thursday afternoon. Eight others were treated for injuries and released at the scene.

The single-engine Van’s RV-10 crashed at 14:15PST (20:15GMT), according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials have provided no further details about how the crash occurred. It is unclear whether the two people who died were workers or were on board the plane.

Police say they are evacuating buildings in the area, and are asking the public to stay away from the crash site.

Congressman Lou Correa, who represents the area of Orange County, about 25 miles (40km) south of Los Angeles, said that the building that was struck is a furniture manufacturing business.

In a post on X, Correa said that at least a dozen of the victims are factory workers.

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Aerial photos of the scene show parts of the plane inside the building. The crash also sparked a fire which was extinguished by fire crews.

Security footage recorded from a building across the street shows a fiery explosion, according to local news outlets.

“People are just shaken over the situation,” witness Mark Anderson told KRCA-TV.

“It was just a large boom, and then one of the people went out and said, ‘Oh my gosh, the building’s on fire.'”

The area where the plane crashed is near the Fullerton Municipal Airport, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Disneyland.

The plane appears to have been turning back to the airport shortly after takeoff, according to KRCA-TV.

Around 100 people were ultimately evacuated from the Michael Nicholas Designs furniture factory, according to the Orange County Register newspaper.

Juanita Ramirez, an employee, told the newspaper that she heard a loud bang before seeing a large ball of fire flying towards her.

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This is the second plane to crash in the area in the past two months, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

On 25 November, another plane crashed into a tree roughly one block away from this most recent crash. No major injures were reported in that crash.

Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

BBC

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Vegas Tesla blast suspect shot himself in head – Officials

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Vegas Tesla blast suspect shot himself in head – Officials

The decorated US special forces soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas apparently shot himself in the head before the blast, authorities said Thursday, adding that his motivation was still “unknown.”

Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a member of the elite Green Berets, appears to have committed suicide in the rented vehicle filled with fuel containers and fireworks, which then erupted into flames, officials said.

Livelsberger’s body was burned beyond recognition but Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the authorities had “a lot of confidence” that he was the sole occupant of the Cybertruck.

Livelsberger, identified through his military ID, passport and credit cards, had a gunshot wound to the head and a gun was found at his feet, McMahill told reporters at a press conference in Las Vegas.

“The motivation at this point is unknown,” FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans said.

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Kenny Cooper, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Livelsberger had legally purchased two semi-automatic handguns on Monday which were found in the remains of the vehicle.

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Seven people were wounded in the blast.

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Evans said the link to the president-elect was “not lost” on investigators, nor was the fact that Tesla is owned by world’s richest man — and prominent Trump backer — Elon Musk.

“But we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us” it was driven by any particular ideology, he said.

Livelsberger rented the vehicle in Colorado on December 28, from where authorities tracked him driving it alone through Arizona and New Mexico to Las Vegas, which he reached on January 1, Kevin McMahill said.

McMahill said Livelsberger was a Green Beret who had been deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and was currently stationed in Germany.

An army spokesperson said Livelsberger was “on approved leave at the time of his death,” and that he had been awarded multiple Bronze Star Medals, including one for valor.

Investigators said it was not yet clear how the blast detonated, but the components were mainly consumer products like fireworks and fuel.

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The blast came just hours after a pickup truck plowed into a crowd of revelers in the French Quarter of New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens.

Initially investigators were probing potential links between the events, but authorities in New Orleans said Thursday they believe the Islamic State-inspired attacker there acted alone, while the FBI described the Vegas incident as “isolated.”