PARIS—As France, the home of Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities, tears itself apart over the war between Israel and Hamas, French President Emmanuel Macron is leveling the harshest criticism seen from any G-7 leader toward Israel since the beginning of the conflict, talking openly about the need to work toward a long-term cease-fire.
Besides humanitarian concerns, let alone a desire to play a grander role on the global stage, Macron has good reason to wish for a speedy conclusion to the war. Antisemitism and Islamophobia are both on the rise in the country: France has seen more than 1,500 antisemitic acts or remarks since the conflict broke out, three times as many as those that occurred in the whole of last year. Six hundred people have been arrested over the incidents. Muslim leaders say enmity is brewing against their communities as well.
“This is the only solution we have, this cease-fire, because it’s impossible to explain we want to fight against terrorism by killing innocent people,” Macron said in a BBC interview last week. “These babies, ladies, and old people are [being] bombed and killed. There is no reason for that, and no legitimacy, so we do urge Israel to stop,” he added.
