France’s Macron says he stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against terrorism

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed not to leave Israel isolated in its fight against terrorism but warned against the risks of a regional conflict as he arrived in Israel on Tuesday (October 24).

After meeting with families of French victims at Tel Aviv airport, Macron told President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem that France stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel and that the first objective should be to free hostages in Gaza.

Herzog meanwhile thanked Macron for his presence, insisted Israel was ready to fight back if Hezbollah were to ‘drag’ it in a conflict and expressed concern at the recent rise in antisemitic acts around the world.

Macron’s advisers said that, beyond showing solidarity with Israel, Macron wanted to make “proposals that are as operational as possible” to prevent an escalation, free hostages, guarantee Israel’s security and work towards a two-state solution.

Declining to elaborate on what these proposals could be, a Macron adviser said only that there were things that could be done so that Israel did not feel alone in its fight against terrorism.