France Turns Up the Heat on Israel: Macron Says Trump Has Changed — and Netanyahu Has No Strategy.
French President Emmanuel Macron launched a sharp diplomatic broadside against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, describing his conduct of the war as destructive and lacking any strategic logic, while claiming that President Donald Trump has recently shifted his attitude toward the Israeli leader. Speaking in an interview on the French television network France 2, a day after the G7 summit concluded in Évian in the French Alps, Macron offered his most pointed criticism yet of Netanyahu's leadership. "It does not appear that Netanyahu has any strategic plan," Macron said. "He has achieved real security results and has defended his country against real aggression," he acknowledged, before adding that the policy as a whole was "destructive."
Macron accused Israel of causing widespread civilian harm in Gaza that was "completely unjustifiable," and condemned what he described as new settlement activity and unacceptable acts in Judea and Samaria, arguing the policy "feeds resentment and violence among all populations of the region." The most striking claim in the interview was Macron's assertion that Trump himself has grown frustrated with Netanyahu. "Trump has changed his attitude toward Netanyahu in recent days," Macron said, "and only under those conditions will it be possible to achieve real change." He did not elaborate on what had specifically triggered the shift, but the comments land against a well-documented backdrop of strain between Washington and Jerusalem. Trump confirmed in early June that he had called Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during a heated phone call over Israel's continued strikes in Lebanon, though he later described the relationship as strong.
Some officials in the Trump administration have been working to establish informal channels with Israel's opposition, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and former IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot, amid growing concern over hard-right members of the Netanyahu government seen as extremists and frustration with the inability to advance various diplomatic agendas. (Read More)
