French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not forget his country was created as a result of a resolution passed by the United Nations, as he called on his government to comply with U.N. decisions.
Tensions have increased between Netanyahu and Macron with the French leader last week insisting that stopping the export of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to stop the conflicts.
France has also repeatedly denounced Israeli attacks against U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, who include a French contingent.
"Mr. Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the U.N.," Macron told the weekly French cabinet meeting, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
"Therefore this is not the time to disregard the decisions of the U.N.," he added, as Israel is carrying out attacks against southern Lebanon, where the U.N. peacekeepers are deployed.
His comments from the closed-door meeting at the Elysee Palace were quoted by a participant who spoke to AFP and asked not to be named.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 states that only the Lebanese army and the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL should be deployed in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu on Sunday called on the U.N. to move the 10,000-strong peacekeeping force, who include 700 French troops, deployed in south Lebanon out of "harm's way," claiming Hezbollah was using them as "human shields," an allegation incessantly used by Israel to target civilians, hospitals, schools, houses of worship, refugee camps and more, in Palestine.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Tuesday said he was opposed to agreeing to a "unilateral cease-fire" in Lebanon during a call with Macron, according to a statement released by his office.
