Israel's security requires diplomatic solution, not force alone, French foreign minister says
Israel's security cannot be guaranteed with military force alone and will require a diplomatic solution, France's foreign minister said on Monday, at the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Speaking at the end of a four-day tour of the Middle East, Jean-Noel Barrot was in Israel on Monday to mark a year since Hamas terrorists killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza.
"Force alone cannot guarantee the security of Israel, your security. Military success cannot be a substitute for a political perspective," Barrot told reporters during a visit to Israel.
"To bring the hostages home to their loved ones, to allow the displaced to return home in the North, after a year of war, the time for diplomacy has come."
Barrot's arrival in Israel, where about 180,000 French citizens live, came at a tricky time in Franco-Israeli relations after President Emmanuel Macron was firmly rebuffed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his calls for a de facto arms embargo on Israel this weekend.
France is a 'staunch defender' of Israeli security
Barrot reiterated that it was odd to call for a ceasefire while giving offensive weapons. He said that France, as a staunch defender of Israel's security, felt it was vital to be frank about the ongoing suffering of civilians in Gaza but also the military operation now in southern Lebanon.The French-US. proposal for a ceasefire to end fighting in Lebanon remains on the table, with parties continuing to work on it, he said.
"We have a responsibility to act today to avoid Lebanon finding itself in a short horizon in a dramatic situation like Syria found itself a few years ago," Barrot said.
