Macron to his ministers: “France has reviewed all of its aid to the Palestinian authority”

2023-10-11 15:28:28

The head of state, generally not shy of comments, has been cautious and has spoken little since the start of the war in the Middle East. A few statements in Hamburg, a tweet… before speaking to the Council of Ministers this morning. According to our information, the Head of State recalled, reports a participant, “our complete solidarity with Israel” and that “nothing can justify terrorist acts”.

“Hamas knew the consequences to which it exposed the inhabitants of Gaza,” insisted Emmanuel Macron, adding that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” On the question of aid to the Palestinians, the president reiterated that he was “not in favor” of a suspension “at the risk of throwing populations into the arms of terrorists”. “France has carried out a review of all of its aid to the Palestinian authority to be sure that it goes to the right place,” he detailed.

Véran calls for “the search for lasting peace”

Then, Emmanuel Macron asked the ministers to be “very careful in (their) expressions on the French people who died or were taken hostage”, while stressing that there was a risk of difficult images or testimonies from families in the press.

During his press briefing following the Council of Ministers, government spokesperson Olivier Véran called for his part to “avoid a situation of escalation” in the conflict and to work for “a political resolution of the conflict” for “the search for lasting peace.

“Everything must be done to avoid the situation of escalation in the Middle East, protect civilians, avoid conflagration,” added Olivier Véran, also calling not to “import the conflict” into France. A declaration which came a few hours after a morning visit to a Jewish school in Sarcelles (Val-d’Oise), led jointly by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and his colleague from National Education Gabriel Attal.