French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he opposed the military operation in Rafah, pointing out that this could lead to the Israelis being found guilty of war crimes. This was reported by the press service of the Elysee Palace.
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“The President of the Republic […] expressed his deepest concern at the operations carried out by the Israeli army at the Al-Shifa hospital complex since Monday, and reiterated his strong opposition to the Israeli offensive on Rafah. He recalled that forced population transfers are a war crime under international law and that the future of Gaza can only be decided within the framework of a future Palestinian state under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority,” the statement said.
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Macron referred to the “unacceptable death toll” during the Israeli operation and called for the “opening of all existing land crossings into the Gaza Strip without delay and without any conditions,” as required by the International Criminal Court. He specifically mentioned the Karni checkpoint, including the direct land route from Jordan, and the port of Ashdod.
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In addition, he called for avoiding a worsening of the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He also “stressed the importance of maintaining the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem.”
