France hardens stance on Israel but few can forget Macron’s initial response
▶ New effort at balance overshadowed by early call for international coalition against Hamas
French President Emmanuel Macron is signalling a hardening of his position on Israel in the war in Gaza as officials increasingly criticise the high death toll after an initial period of support for its military response to the October 7 attacks.
Mr Macron was one of the few western heads of state to publicly blame Israel for the so-called “flour massacre” last week – when at least 112 Palestinians were killed and more than 700 injured after troops opened fire on a crowd at an aid convoy in northern Gaza.
“Deep indignation at the images coming from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers,” Mr Macron wrote on X on Friday.
“I express my strongest condemnation of these shootings and call for truth, justice, and respect for international law.”
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said Israel was responsible for the “unjustifiable” humanitarian crisis.
“This reflects a maturation of the French diplomatic stance driven by its will to preserve good relationships with its partners in the region,” Karim El Mufti, professor of political science and international law at Science Po Paris, told The National.
“Israel’s position is increasingly criticised in the West and European elections are looming.”
For many, however, France’s attempts at maintaining a distinctive voice in Europe has been diluted by a series of muddled reactions.
“France has tried to maintain this double messaging where initially – particularly in October and November – it stood clearly with Israel,” said Nadim Houry, director of Paris-based think tank Arab Reform Initiative.
“Then once it became clear in France’s view that Israel is killing a large number of civilians, it has tried to recalibrate that message. But this has not necessarily helped France find a voice in the region.”
Mr Macron’s initial unconditional support for Israel, and particularly a proposal for an anti-Hamas coalition modelled on the international alliance fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, was viewed by many diplomats and Arab partners as disconnected from reality.
Many say attempts to change official messages on the conflict are overshadowed by the initial response.
Over the past months, France has repeatedly called for a ceasefire. It has also co-ordinated with Qatar to send medical aid to Gaza and worked with Jordan to drop humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Last month, Mr Macron hosted Arab leaders critical of Israel’s military operation, including Jordan’s King Abdullah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim.
At a state dinner, Mr Macron listened to Sheikh Tamim give a speech mentioning “genocide” in Gaza.
Mr Macron’s aborted proposal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set up an anti-terrorism coalition also caused frustration among French diplomats.
Newspaper Le Figaro revealed that a dozen French ambassadors to the Middle East had written a letter to the Elysee Palace and the Foreign Ministry expressing their regret at Mr Macron’s apparent pro-Israel bias.
Mr El Mufti said French foreign policy in the Levant suffered from a marginalisation of diplomats’ expertise and Mr Macron’s centralised decision-making style. “It’s a total failure,” he said.
France’s stronger condemnation of Israel is regarded by others as being too little, too late.
“France has become emblematic of unstructured, amnesic foreign policy: Each move belongs to a news cycle, with no overall coherence,” Peter Harling, director of the Beirut-based Synaps think tank, told The National.
“People will remember what France did to egg Israel on over several months.
“Putting the blame on Israel for behaviour that France endorsed for so long won’t make much of a dent on people who are not, precisely, amnesiacs.”