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Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting in Ramallah on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The presidents addressed the situation of the Palestinian people suffering from the Israeli siege and constant bombardment against the enclave since the escalation between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
Abbas demanded the international community to put an end to the aggression of the Israeli army forces against the people of Gaza, and urged the French president to advocate for its cessation.
The Palestinian president strongly condemned the killing of civilians by Israeli airstrikes, noting the “barbaric manner” in which “innocent civilians are being killed.”
Il était essentiel pour moi de revenir à Ramallah à la rencontre du Président de l’Autorité palestinienne Mahmoud Abbas.
Mes condoléances aux victimes des violences engendrées par l’attaque terroriste du Hamas, une tragédie pour les Israéliens mais aussi pour les Palestiniens. pic.twitter.com/1vzLtWlN5F
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron)
October 24, 2023
The tweet reads, “It was essential for me to return to Ramallah to meet the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. My condolences to the victims of the violence caused by the Hamas terrorist attack, a tragedy for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Abbas blamed countries that support the conflict, and urged the need for an international peace conference on the situation in Gaza.
For his part, Macron offered his condolences for the victims of the attacks. “Nothing can justify” the anguish of the civilian population over the situation since the recent escalation broke out in that region, he said.
The French president is the first Western leader to visit the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the occupied West Bank amid the ongoing crisis.
Macron speaks to the press with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Macron also visited Israel on Tuesday, where he held a press conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He pledged support for the Jewish state, saying France supports Israel “today, tomorrow and the day after peace and stability.”
Noting that Israel and France are united by the same “pain and sorrow,” the French president said the priority must be the release of hostages held by Hamas.
He also called on the international community to avoid any escalation of conflict in the region, and urged Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group and political party, as well as Iran, to refrain from actions that could potentially provoke further tensions.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported nearly 5,800 dead as a result of Israeli airstrikes, including more than 2,000 children and 1,400 women.
