Palestinian leader Abbas tells Macron to stop Israel 'aggression' on Gaza

 


Oct 24, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv Tuesday morning to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Benny Gantz and main opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Macron met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah later Tuesday. He said that the Hamas attack had been traumatic for Israel but that it also was a disaster for the Palestinian people. "Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people," he added. 

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas told France's Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that the international community must halt Israel's "aggression" as it battles Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"We urge you, President Macron, to stop this aggression," Abbas said after the two leaders held talks in Ramallah dominated by the war that has left thousands of civilians dead in Gaza and Israel.

The Palestinian leader strongly condemned Israeli air strikes which he said "kill innocent civilians in a barbaric way".

Abbas said Israel "and the countries that support it are responsible for the conflict". He added that there should be an "international peace conference" on Gaza.

 

France's Macron: Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the Hamas attack had been traumatic for Israel but that it also was a disaster for the Palestinian people.

"Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people," Macron told reporters alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the West Bank. The French leader also said that "nothing can justify" the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

The Palestinian president had earlier called for an immediate cessation of the "aggression" against Gaza and to provide protection for the Palestinian people.

AFP