Israeli Defense Minister Criticizes Macron's Plan; Gallant: We Will Not Join the Tripartite Contact Group for 'Reducing Tensions with Hezbollah'

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Friday that Israel will not join an initiative proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, which includes forming a contact group from France, the United States, and Israel to 'reduce escalating tensions with Hezbollah' at the northern border. Gallant stated, 'While we fight to defend our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel.' He added, 'In doing so, France ignores the horrific crimes that Hamas has committed against Israeli children, women, and men.' He wrote, 'Israel will not be part of the tripartite framework proposed by France.' Gallant's remarks come after Macron announced on Thursday that the three countries—America, France, and Israel—have agreed to work together to enhance efforts to advance a roadmap that Paris had proposed earlier this year to reduce conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. These conflicts have intensified since the terrorist group Hezbollah began attacks on the north following the Hamas massacre on October 7 in southern Israel. The Israeli Defense Minister did not provide an explanation for this stance, but his statement was issued after French officials last month banned Israeli defense companies from exhibiting at one of the world's largest defense exhibitions. This decision came just days after an Israeli attack on two senior Hamas terrorists in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, which caused a fire in a residential complex for homeless Palestinians and killed dozens of civilians, sparking international outrage and protests in France. Hamas militants, a group supported by the Islamic Republic, killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during the attacks on October 7 in southern Israel and took over 250 hostages. It has been previously reported that more than 100 hostages are still held captive by this group. Nevertheless, Israel has spoken about the possibility of some hostages being killed by Hamas. A few days ago, Israeli forces freed 4 hostages in Gaza. The rescue operation for the crew of a Greek ship that was hit by the Houthis continues. A senior Hamas official stated: 'No one knows how many of the hostages are alive.' A survey in Israel: The Gantz Party would win if parliamentary elections were held. Macron announced the formation of a tripartite contact group to reduce tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel. A commercial ship off the coast of Aden, Yemen, caught fire after being hit by a rocket. Israeli tanks in western Rafah; the Israeli army attacked '45 targets.'