French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to give up plans to apply Israeli law over parts of Judea and Samaria, Macron’s office said Friday morning.
In a statement Friday morning, the French government said Macron spoke with Netanyahu Thursday, pressing the Israeli leader to nix plans to apply Israeli sovereignty over Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, as well as most of the Jordan Valley.
Macron “reminded him [Netanyahu] of France’s commitment to Middle East peace, and asked him to refrain from taking any measures to annex Palestinian territories,” Macron’s office said Friday regarding the conversation Thursday.
“He stressed that such a measure would be contrary to international law and would compromise the possibility of a two-state solution, as well as the establishment of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Despite the disagreement between the two countries over Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, Macron “reiterated France's unwavering commitment to the security of Israel and its determination to work to ease tensions in the Middle East. He expressed his attachment to the friendship and the trust which bind France and Israel.”