The already heated exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intensified on Tuesday, centering on the role of the UN in the establishment of the State of Israel.
Netanyahu should not forget his country was created as a result of a resolution adopted by the United Nations, French President Emmanuel Macron told the French cabinet, urging Israel to abide by UN decisions.
"Mr. Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN," Macron told the weekly French cabinet meeting, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
"Therefore this is not the time to disregard the decisions of the UN," he added, as Israel wages a ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the UN peacekeepers are deployed.
His comments from the closed-door meeting at the Elysée Palace were quoted by a participant who spoke to AFP and asked not to be named.
Netanyahu hit back at the French president’s comments, saying the country's founding was achieved by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, not a UN ruling.
"A reminder to the president of France: It was not the UN resolution that established the State of Israel, but rather the victory achieved in the war of independence with the blood of heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors - including from the Vichy regime in France," Netanyahu responded.
No Ceasefire
Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was opposed to agreeing to a "unilateral ceasefire" in Lebanon during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement released by his office.
"The Prime Minister said in the conversation that he is opposed to a unilateral ceasefire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon, and which will only return it to the way it was," Netanyahu said, according to a statement.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified (to Macron) that Israel would not agree to any arrangement that does not provide this and which does not stop Hezbollah from rearming and regrouping," the statement from his office said.
Tensions have increased between Netanyahu and Macron with the French leader last week insisting that stopping the export of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to stop the conflicts.
France has also repeatedly denounced Israeli fire against UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, who include a French contingent.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 states that only the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL should be deployed in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu on Sunday called on the UN to move the 10,000-strong peacekeeping force, who include 700 French troops, deployed in south Lebanon out of "harm's way", saying Hezbollah was using them as "human shields".
This exchange follows another confrontation. On October 5, Macron had called for "stopping the supply of weapons used in the fighting in Gaza," primarily directed at the United States. "France does not deliver them," he emphasized.
He reiterated on Friday that "stopping the export of weapons" used in Palestinian territories and Lebanon is "the only lever" to end these conflicts, while clarifying that this was not about "disarming" Israel.
"Shame!" exclaimed the Israeli Prime Minister in a video, arguing that "all civilized countries should stand firmly with Israel," which is "fighting the forces of barbarism led by Iran."
The two leaders had previously called each other to "acknowledge their differences," according to a report from the Élysée, which also highlighted France's "unwavering commitment" to Israel's security.
With AFP
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