It’s published •update
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused French, British and Canadian leaders of being on the “wrong side of history” with Hamas after calling for an end to restrictions on Israeli military operations and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
“When we thank the mass murderers, rapists, baby murderers, and tricksters, you are on the wrong side of justice, you are on the wrong side of humanity, and you are on the wrong side of history,” he said Friday, calling Emmanuel Macron, Kiel Starmer and Mark Carney.
“Now these leaders may think they are pushing peace forward. They are not. They are encouraging Hamas to continue fighting forever.
Earlier this week, the three leaders issued a joint statement denounced what was called Israel’s “bad” military action in Gaza and warned Netanyahu would take “specific actions” if they did not change courses, particularly in regards to humanitarian aid.
In a television speech, Netanyahu said the murder of two of his country’s embassy staff in Washington was a “terrifying” act of anti-Semitic violence.
Jaron Lisinski, 30 and 26, was shot dead at an event hosted by the city’s capital, Jewish Museum, on a local Wednesday night.
Elias Rodriguez cried out “free, free Palestine” when police took him away, drawing a direct line between the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in 2023, when the Israeli-Hamas War began.
All crowds in France, the UK, Canada and Israel condemned the killings in Washington, as they did after the October 7, 2023 attack.
Shaking relationships
Government ministers from all three countries are quick to defend their leaders. Christophe Lemoine, a spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized the military escalation on local radio, saying, “Israel must provide assistance, access must be large and free.”
And British military minister Luke Pollard rejected criticism of Netanyahu’s Starme, saying, “We support Israel’s right to self-defense, as long as they do so in international humanitarian law.”
Israel’s relations with the UK plummeted to decades’ lowest levels earlier this week after British Foreign Secretary David Lamy announced that he had halted free trade negotiations with Israel and called for repellents there to “cleanse Gaza.”
Also, this is not the first time Macron has received a sharp reprimand from the Israeli Prime Minister.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu said Macron had “stopping up again” with Hamas after the French president said Europe should consider acknowledging Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
After nearly three months of lockdown with all the aid of entering the strip, dozens of trucks were allowed back into Gaza earlier this week, but the UN said the entry amount was a “sea drop” compared to what was required.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) launched a new attack last Friday in Gaza, known as the codename for Operation Gideon.
Major ground attacks in northern and southern Gaza are supported by the Israeli Air Force, aiming to expand “operational control” on the strip and release the remaining hostages still being held by Hamas.
Additional sources •AP
