French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement following a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposes the dangerous contradictions at the heart of Europe’s approach to the Middle East. While Macron rightly affirms that “the release of all hostages and the security of Israel are a priority for France,” his call for Israel to “end the strikes on Gaza and return to the ceasefire” plays directly into the hands of Hamas and the broader Iranian terror network that engineered the October 7 massacre.
On that horrific day, over 6,000 terrorists from Gaza invaded Israel, slaughtering more than 1,163 people and abducting 251 hostages—including infants, the elderly, and entire families. Since then, Israel has been fighting not just Hamas, but Iran’s entire axis of terror: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which directly attacked Israel with ballistic missiles on April 13 and again on October 1, 2024.
Macron’s demand for a ceasefire assumes moral symmetry between Israel and Hamas—an outrageous notion given the systematic rape, mutilation, and mass murder carried out by Hamas and its collaborators on October 7. Furthermore, his insistence that “humanitarian aid must resume immediately” ignores Hamas’ documented practice of diverting aid to fuel its war machine while starving its own people.
France’s commitment to a “two-state solution” and condemnation of “forced displacement or annexation” reflects a stubborn adherence to a failed paradigm. There is no “two-state solution” when one party, Hamas, calls for the annihilation of the other. And there is no “displacement” when civilians flee because terrorists embed themselves in hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings.
Macron also calls for Israel to “respect the ceasefire it committed to in Lebanon,” a bewildering request given that Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli territory since October 8, 2023. Israel has every right—and obligation—to defend its northern citizens from daily bombardment.
Even more problematic is Macron’s suggestion that Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory and support the “restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty.” Lebanon has no sovereignty. It is a puppet state hijacked by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy that controls the south and uses UN-designated areas to launch attacks against Israeli civilians. Demanding Israeli withdrawal while ignoring Hezbollah’s daily aggression is an inversion of reality.
Macron’s coordination with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—a former HTS commander who took power after the Assad regime collapsed under Israeli pressure—is another red flag. Israel’s decisive role in dismantling Iran’s presence in Syria, including the total destruction of 80% of Syria’s military assets, was a strategic necessity to protect its northern front. Macron’s vision of “restoring Syria’s full sovereignty” risks resurrecting a terror corridor long used by Iran to funnel weapons to Hezbollah.
The truth is clear: calls for “stability” and “peace” that ignore the root cause of the conflict—Islamist terrorism fueled by Iran—will not bring security to the region. Only the complete dismantling of Hamas, the neutralization of Hezbollah, and the expulsion of Iranian influence from the Middle East can secure a future for both Israelis and the region at large.
Macron’s words may play well in European diplomatic salons, but they signal weakness and confusion in the face of evil. France must decide: will it stand with Israel in its fight for survival, or will it continue to appease the very forces that threaten global security?
There can be no “political horizon” built on the ruins of October 7. There can only be victory over terror.
