Israel blasts ‘grotesque absurdity’ of Macron’s UN remarks on West Bank

Israel rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday after he criticised Israeli actions in the West Bank in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. In his last speech as president addressing the UN's signature annual diplomatic gathering, Macron deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza – from which Hamas led the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest ever against Israel – as well as actions by Israel in the West Bank. Read moreMacron urges world to 'stand firm' against 'abuse of power by empires' in final UN speech Macron said that "Hamas has never struck in the West Bank," a territory seized by Israel in 1967 that is home to the Palestinian Authority. "The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron's statement is staggering," said a statement by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to deliver a defiant address to the world body on Thursday. "Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria," it said, using the Biblical name for the West Bank. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Netany...