President Emmanuel Macron has warned France could harden its position against Israel, including potential sanctions on Israeli settlers, if humanitarian aid to Gaza remains blocked. His comments come as a new US-backed ceasefire proposal emerged to end the devastating 20-month conflict.
“The humanitarian blockade is creating an untenable situation on the ground,” Macron said on Friday in Singapore, on the last day of an official visit to southeast Asia.
“If there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position,” Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.
On Thursday, Israel announced it would create 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank accelerating its ongoing expansion into the Palestinian territory. The settlements are considered illegal under international law.
Macron said he still hoped Israel would “change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response”.
Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues – the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
France pressures Israel to resume full humanitarian aid to Gaza
New ceasefire proposal
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