French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that any forced transfer of people from the southern Gaza city of Rafah would constitute “a war crime.”
And he repeated his opposition to any Israeli military operation to fight Hamas in Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has taken shelter after months of fierce fighting in the besieged territory.
In a telephone call between the two leaders on Sunday, Macron also “strongly condemned” Israel’s announcement on Friday of the seizure of 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank for new settlements.
Activists say Israel’s declaration that the land in the northern Jordan Valley was now “state land” was the single largest such seizure in decades.
In the call, Macron told Netanyahu he intended to bring a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
He also urged Israel to immediately open all crossing points into Gaza.
The planned Rafah ground offensive has faced intense international pressure, with warnings that it would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis.
However, Israel has insisted it is necessary in its campaign to destroy Hamas.
With AFP
