Netanyahu and French Senate President Criticize Macron's Remarks on Israel

As Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, criticized Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, for his remarks about Israel, the President of the French Senate also expressed his 'surprise' at these comments. According to reports, Mr. Macron stated on Tuesday, October 16, that 'Netanyahu should not forget that his country was established by a United Nations decision. Therefore, he should not consider himself separate from the decisions of the United Nations.' He made these comments following the targeting of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by Israeli forces. According to 'The Times of Israel', the French President's remarks provoked an angry reaction from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and simultaneously fueled increasing tensions between France and Israel, raising concerns among Jewish community figures within France. In response to the French President, Benjamin Netanyahu told 'Le Figaro': 'The United Nations recognized the right of the Jewish people to have a country, but it certainly did not create it. The Jewish people have been connected to the land of Israel for 3,500 years.' Additionally, Gérard Larcher, the President of the Senate and a senior figure in the right-wing Republican Party of France, the second highest official in the country according to the constitution, described Mr. Macron's remarks in an interview with 'Europe 1' as 'indicative of ignorance of the history of the establishment of the State of Israel' and said: 'Questioning the existence of Israel is ambiguous for me.'