Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, French President Emanuel Macron has been speaking out of both sides of his mouth, sometimes for and sometimes against a visit to Israel.
The French media reported that “Emanuel Macron is considering the advantages and disadvantages of his visit to Israel. After Joe Biden, the greatest ally of Israel and guarantor of its security, after Olaf Scholz, who still provides unending support for Israel … years after the Holocaust, the turn of Emanuel Macron, who is rising as a European leader, has logically arrived. The government’s office has made the principled decision. The only thing missing is the date, which changes in accordance with the President’s deliberations.”
“The visit could inflame the situation in France”
It was also reported that “Macron is preparing, without hurrying, his visit to Israel and that he hopes the journey will allow him to achieve humanitarian and diplomatic progress, after the visits of Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, and Rishi Sunak. It’s a dangerous political exercise, since he could inflame the internal situation of France,” which is filled with Palestine-supporting Muslims.
The French media brought up the issue of Macron’s concerns: “To travel to Israel, or not? When? And to what end? Emanual Macron is considering the project, assessing the dangers and the advantages. Hesitating and planning at the same time, with Israel preparing to launch a ground offensive in Gaza.”
It was also reported that during his official visit to Albania last Tuesday, the French President admitted that he could visit Israel “in the coming days” or “in the coming weeks.” Macron added that “my desire is to be able to travel when we can get a concrete agreement or in a discussion on stopping the escalation, or on humanitarian matters and more broadly on everything.”