The Media Line: Macron Draws Israeli Rebuke Over Hamas West Bank Claim as Burnham Defends Settlement Sanctions  

Macron Draws Israeli Rebuke Over Hamas West Bank Claim as Burnham Defends Settlement Sanctions  

By The Media Line Staff  

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham focused on Israeli policy in the West Bank during separate UN General Assembly speeches Tuesday, with Macron drawing criticism from Israeli officials after saying Hamas “was never active” there.  

Macron criticized Israeli actions in the territory, saying, “Look at what’s happening in the West Bank where day in and day out, we are seeing violations [by Israel]. And in the name of what? Hamas was never active in the West Bank.”  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the assertion, pointing to terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in the territory.  

“The ridiculous absurdity of Emmanuel Macron’s statement is astounding,” Netanyahu said. Referring to the killing of French citizen Netanel Shukrun by a Palestinian terrorist before Yom Kippur, he added, “Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost daily. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria. Ignorance is no excuse for erasing their blood.”  

Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot also disputed Macron’s statement, citing his experience commanding the Judea and Samaria Division.  

“As someone who commanded the Judea and Samaria Division and as someone who fought to defeat Hamas terrorism, I am very familiar with the terror organization’s operations in Judea and Samaria and the threat it poses to Israeli citizens,” Eisenkot said.  

Following the criticism, a French diplomatic official told The Times of Israel that Macron “meant to say that Hamas does not govern the West Bank.”  

Burnham, meanwhile, defended his government’s measures targeting Israeli settlements. After describing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks against Israeli civilians as “horrific,” he said they did not justify Israel’s conduct in Gaza or the West Bank.  

Burnham also condemned Israel’s approval of the E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, saying it would “threaten to put a viable Palestinian state beyond reach.”  

“It cannot be allowed to happen,” he said, citing his government’s recent decision to prohibit all dealings with settlements.  

Burnham argued that taking action was necessary to demonstrate his government’s commitment to a two-state solution, warning that merely advocating such an outcome without accompanying measures would further reduce public trust. 

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