France’s Macron calls for arms sales ban on Israel

The French president also criticises Israel’s decision to send troops to Lebanon, saying a regional ‘escalation’ must be avoided.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel which has been bombing Gaza for a year now, and recently launched a military operation against Lebanon.

“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron told broadcaster France Inter on Saturday.

“France is not delivering any [weapon],” he added during the interview recorded early this week.

While France is not a leading weapons provider for Israel, its voice as a key player in the European Union and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council carries significant influence amid international efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict in Gaza.

In September, the United Kingdom also announced that it was suspending some arms exports to Israel, citing a “clear risk” that they could be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.