Tensions between Israel and France escalated over the weekend after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his son, Yair Netanyahu, launched a verbal attack on French President Emmanuel Macron for advocating recognition of a Palestinian state.
Yair Netanyahu took to social media late Saturday to respond to Macron’s remarks, posting a message on X that read, “Screw you!”
He followed with a call for the independence of various French territories, including Corsica, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. In the same post, he also appeared to confuse French Guiana with West Africa while condemning what he described as France’s “neo-imperialism.”
The backlash came after President Macron reiterated France’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a post that stated: “Yes to peace. Yes to Israel’s security. Yes to a Palestinian state without Hamas.”
His comments followed a televised interview on France 5, where he said France could move to recognize Palestinian statehood “in the coming months,” potentially during a United Nations conference in June.
Macron emphasized the move could prompt reciprocal recognition of Israel by Arab nations. “We must move toward recognition, and we will do so ... to participate in a collective dynamic,” he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu echoed his son’s criticism and rejected Macron’s position.
“President Macron is gravely mistaken in continuing to promote the idea of a Palestinian state in the heart of our land – a state whose sole aspiration is the destruction of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
