French President Emanuel Macron on Monday opened his speech recognizing a Palestinian state by again condemning Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed roughly 1,200 civilians at a music festival.
“The cruelty of Hamas and all those who collaborated in its massacre dumbfounded Israel and astounded the world,” he said. “The seventh of October remains an open wound for the Israeli soul and for our universal conscience. We condemn it unequivocally, because nothing, never, nowhere, can justify having recourse to terrorism.”
“The French pay tribute to the 51 French men and women assassinated on that day, and all other victims of Oct. 7,” Macron continued. “We will never forget them. Never. Just like we will never stop the existential fight against anti-semitism.”
Macron’s recognition of a Palestinian state has been condemned by U.S. officials who believe doing so undermines efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Gaza.
