‘Hamas never operated in the West Bank’: Macron’s UN remark stuns Israel

French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that Hamas has not operated in the West Bank drew strong criticism from Israeli officials on Tuesday, following his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

“Just look at what is happening in the West Bank; day after day, we witness violations. And for what? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank,” Macron said. “What we need is to respect the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to exist. This is a necessary condition for the security of the people of Israel, today and in the future.”

Israeli officials rejected Macron’s assertion, pointing to attacks and alleged plots attributed to Hamas operatives in the West Bank.

Their criticism came after Netanel Shukron, a French-Israeli citizen and father of six, was killed near the N’vei Tzuf spring in the Binyamin area. Israeli officials said the attacker was affiliated with Hamas. Earlier in the month, Israeli security forces announced the arrest of a suspected 10-member Hamas cell accused of planning an attack in the northern Jordan Valley.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office described Macron’s remarks as “a grotesque absurdity.”

“On Sunday, the eve of Yom Kippur, just two days ago, Netanel Shukron—a French citizen and father of six—was murdered in his car by a Hamas terrorist in the West Bank,” the statement said. “In his final breaths, he told his son to run away. Hamas terrorists perpetrate attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in the West Bank. Ignorance is no excuse for erasing their blood.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also accused Macron of misrepresenting Hamas’s presence in the territory.

“President Macron is lying,” Smotrich wrote on X. He cited Shukron’s killing as one of “hundreds of attacks” allegedly led by Hamas, adding that the organization plays a significant role in encouraging and carrying out terrorism in the West Bank.

Israeli advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad similarly condemned the French president’s statement, arguing that Hamas has operated in the West Bank for decades. He cited the March 2002 suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, which killed 30 people and wounded more than 140. The attacker was linked to a Hamas cell based in Tulkarm.

During his address, Macron also criticized the international response to the war in the Gaza Strip and questioned the value of recognizing a Palestinian state without taking further action.

“A year ago, in this very hall, several dozen countries recognized Palestine,” Macron said. “You recognized it on paper. Look at the reality on the ground—but what is the value of our credibility if we remain inactive regarding Gaza?”

Macron said claims that peace had been achieved had not resulted in the opening of humanitarian-aid channels, calling the situation “shameful.”

Turning to Lebanon, Macron said only a fully sovereign Lebanese state would be capable of disarming Hezbollah and restoring security for Lebanese citizens and neighboring countries.

Macron was among several world leaders who addressed the Palestinian issue during Tuesday’s General Assembly session.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide, saying generations of Palestinians would bear the resulting pain and trauma.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his support for an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also described Gaza as “the largest children’s graveyard in the world.”

Members of the Israeli delegation walked out of the chamber during Erdoğan’s address in protest.