Macron Says Israel Can’t Have ‘Free Pass’ in Gaza

A war of words between France and Israel escalated on Friday as President Emmanuel Macron of France, in a speech opening a security forum in Singapore, said the West risked “losing all credibility with the rest of the world” if it “let Israel have its way” in Gaza.

Earlier in the day, during a meeting with reporters, Mr. Macron threatened to “harden the collective position” of the European Union against Israel “if there is not a response to the humanitarian situation in the next few hours.” How exactly European states would do that was not clear.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry shot back in a statement saying the government was facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid. “The facts do not interest Macron,” it said.

Relations between France and Israel have plunged to their lowest point in years. Israel has been infuriated by Mr. Macron’s apparent plan, alluded to again in Singapore, to recognize a Palestinian state, while France and other European powers, including Britain, have run out of patience with Israel’s sustained assault in Gaza.

Mr. Macron’s statements, after a series of recent French warnings seen as provocations in Jerusalem, ignited the fury of Israel, which accused Mr. Macron of leading “a crusade against the Jewish state” and wanting to reward terrorists “with a Palestinian state. No doubt its national day will be Oct. 7.”

It was on Oct. 7, 2023, that Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage in the deadliest day in the country’s 77-year history. Israel responded with a devastating assault in Gaza that has left almost 56,000 Palestinians dead. It has also imposed a two-month blockade that was partially eased last week.