Global Courant
French President Emmanuel Macron is the latest Western leader to visit Israel. Here’s what you need to know about his journey:
What time and where did he arrive?
Macron landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 04:30 GMT on Tuesday.
Macron’s visit comes more than two weeks after Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including about 30 French citizens.
What is the purpose of his visit?
Macron is coming up with a four-point plan, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from occupied East Jerusalem. Macron claims that all his points are operational: he wants to prevent an escalation, he wants to free the remaining prisoners in Gaza, he wants a security guarantee for Israel and he also wants to work towards a two-state solution.
He would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express France’s “full solidarity” with Israel, the French presidency said. This is the aftermath of the recent violence following the October 7 Hamas attack.
In addition, Macron is expected to focus on “preserving the civilian population” in Gaza amid Israel’s relentless bombing campaign and as the country prepares for a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave.
Macron will call for a “humanitarian truce” to allow much-needed aid to Gaza, where the 2.3 million people have been largely deprived of water, food, electricity and other basic services following an Israeli blockade, the Elysee Palace said.
Macron will propose to restart a “real peace process” with the aim of creating a viable Palestinian state in exchange for guarantees from regional powers regarding “Israel’s security”.
Who else will he encounter during his visit?
Shortly after landing, Macron visited Israeli-French nationals whose relatives were killed in the violence. He also met with the families of prisoners.
Macron is due to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at 06:20 GMT.
He plans to also meet opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid in Jerusalem before holding a joint press conference with Netanyahu at 10:00 GMT.
Talks are also likely to take place with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and leaders of the Gulf states, the Elysee said.
Fisher also reported that Macron is also heading to Ramallah, making him the second leader to do so since the latest escalation began.
What is France’s position so far in this conflict?
France favors a two-state solution and advocates “Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, within secure, internationally recognized borders,” as stated by a delegate to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2012.
According to France Diplomacy’s website, it also believes that Jerusalem should be the capital of both states.
French author and expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Alain Gresh, told Al Jazeera that France condemned Israeli aggression in 1967 and continued this policy, while recognizing the state of Palestine. At the time, France took the initiative in this area among countries in Europe and its efforts culminated in the Venice Declaration, which called for negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). This was when the United States still considered the PLO a “terrorist” organization.
Although France claims in recent years that its position has not changed, “its position has indeed changed, because it is now developing bilateral relations with Israel, as if Palestine does not exist,” Gresh said.
The French government has increasingly opposed the Palestinian cause and has even tried to criminalize the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, Gresh added.
What is France’s relationship with Israel/Palestine?
France recognized Israel and established diplomatic ties in 1949, just a year after its creation. France supports Israel and its sovereignty, according to the France Diplomacy website.
After the Hamas attack, Macron expressed Paris’s full support for Israel’s right to defend itself as the Eiffel Tower was lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag.
In 1982, former French President Francois Mitterrand expressed the goal of creating a Palestinian state before the Israeli parliament. France elevated the status of the General Delegation of Palestine to France to the Mission of Palestine in 2010. France voted for Palestine to become a non-United Nations observer state in 2012.
Why are people protesting in France?
Thousands of people demonstrated on Place de la Republique in a pro-Palestine protest on Sunday, as the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza rose to almost 5,100.
This was the first protest sanctioned by French police among recent pro-Palestinian protests in several French cities.
During previous pro-Palestinian protests, French police cracked down on demonstrators, using tear gas and water cannon to disperse them. This was after Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered a ban on all pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the name of “public order.”
