Macron takes aim at Trump over claims of peace in Gaza
French President Emmanuel Macron (photo: flickr.com)
French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized US President Donald Trump during his final address to the UN General Assembly over Trump's claims of having achieved peace in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Macron questioned the US president's claims about the success of the peace plan, noting that despite the proclaimed peace, not a single humanitarian corridor had been reopened in Gaza.
The French leader said the world was witnessing a spectacle that should shame everyone and criticized Trump for portraying his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.
"A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognized Palestine. I hear the cynicism of some people: 'Recognition is just a piece of paper, look at the reality,'" Macron said.
During his speech, the French president banged his fist on the podium. He stressed that the international community could not speak of credibility while continuing to remain inactive in the face of what was happening in Gaza.
"But what credibility do we have if we continue to remain inactive in the face of Gaza? Some boast of a supposed peace. But that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second. Are we simply to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?" Macron said.
His speech came just hours after Trump addressed the UN General Assembly from the same rostrum. The US president portrayed his 20-point Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.
Following Macron's criticism, the White House responded by saying that Trump had ended the war between Israel and Hamas, freed all living hostages, returned the bodies of those who had died to their loved ones, and was now leading the implementation of the 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
In France, Macron has faced criticism from some politicians and activists who believe he has done little since recognizing a Palestinian state last September.
At the same time, Paris has toughened its stance on violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. France has imposed some national sanctions and launched a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where every day violations are committed. In whose name? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank," Macron said.
A year ago, Trump presented Arab leaders with a new peace plan for Gaza. Among other things, it provides for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
To date, only one of the steps promised under Trump's peace plan has been successfully implemented — the release of Israeli hostages. Fighting in Gaza is still ongoing, and Hamas has not been disarmed.
