Macron slams disaster waiting to happen in Gaza, wants UN mission
Last week, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a move that expanded its military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory and drew strong criticism at home and abroad.
"The Israeli cabinet's announcement of an expansion of its operations in Gaza City and the Mawasi camps and for a re-occupation heralds a disaster of unprecedented gravity waiting to happen and of a drift towards a never-ending war," said Macron, in remarks sent by his office to reporters.
"The Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will continue to be the primary victims of this strategy," added Macron.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately return a request for comment. Responding to international criticism in a press conference on Sunday, he said Israel is "applying force judiciously".
By proposing a U.N.-mandated mission in Gaza, Macron is seeking to build on the momentum created by his recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which set off a domino of recognitions, with Britain and Canada following suit.
Macron said the U.N. mission would be tasked with securing the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians and working in support of unspecified Palestinian governance. He said the U.N. Security Council should work on establishing the mission.
"I have asked my teams to work on that with our partners without delay," he added.
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Reuters
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TRADING DAY Tariffs, CPI nerves soften sentiment
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They end in 2021, two years before the war began, and do not even attempt to address his regular appearances live on camera. A role as one of the most prominent journalists in one of the most closely surveilled places on Earth would be strikingly difficult to combine with command of a Hamas unit during an all-out war. Documents Israel published after killing another Al Jazeera journalist last year claimed Ismail al-Ghoul was given a military rank when he was 10 years old. While they marshalled contradictory and unconvincing evidence, the existence of those files reflected Israeli concerns about pressure from western allies, and the need for at least the appearance of compliance with international law. Despite international pressure, Israel has not offered any explanation for the deaths of al-Sharif's four colleagues, protected civilians killed in their workplace. Ginsberg said she feared that was a warning that already unimaginable risks had escalated further. 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'Even though I have been in a number of war zones in the past, from Ukraine to Afghanistan, via Syria, Iraq and Somalia, I have never, but never, experienced anything like this.'
