President Emmanuel Macron of France believes he can somehow manage to bring about a renewal of the lapsed truce between Israel and Hamas, and following upon that, achieve a permanent ceasefire. How he intends to perform this feat is entirely unclear. Does he realize, for example, that Israel will not agree to any more truces with Hamas as long as the terror group continues to violate its solemn commitment to release all of the remaining female hostages, and to stop firing rockets into Israel,, not to mention its murder of several dozen hostages? More on the would-be wonder-worker of the Élysée Palace can be found here: “France’s Macron Says He Is Going to Qatar to Work on New Gaza Truce,” Algemeiner, December 2, 2023:
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday [Dec. 2] that France was “very concerned” by the resumption of violence in Gaza and that he was heading to Qatar to help in efforts to kickstart a new truce ahead of a ceasefire.
Macron also told a press conference at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai that the situation required the doubling down on efforts to obtain a lasting ceasefire and the freeing of all hostages.
A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed on Friday after Hamas broke the ceasefire.
Macron also urged Israel to clarify its goals towards Hamas.
“We are at a moment when Israeli authorities must more precisely define their objectives and their final goal: the total destruction of Hamas, does anyone think it is possible? If this is the case, the war will last 10 years,” he said.
Why does Macron feign ignorance of Israel’s objective? It is simple: the complete destruction of Hamas as a fighting force, so that it can never menace Israel again. That means killing or wounding a large number of the 30,000 Hamas combatants who were in Gaza before October 7, destroying most of the 300 miles of terror tunnels, and seizing most of the weaponry that Hamas has stockpiled throughout the Strip. The IDF estimates it has killed more than 5,000, and wounded more than 5,000 Hamas operatives, which means that in less than two months, it has already reduced the number of functioning Hamas operatives by a third. When Macron says that the “total destruction of Hamas” is absurd — “does anyone think it is possible?,” he asks — the answer is yes, the government and people of Israel think it is possible, as long as meddlers such as Macron do not get in the way. Why does Macron have so little faith in the power of the IDF to obtain its goals, at the very moment when it is performing spectacularly, and Hamas is clearly desperate for a ceasefire? Israel has been surprising the doomsayers since 1948, when few expected it to survive the onslaught of five Arab armies, and again in 1967, when no one except the Israelis thought the Jewish state could defeat the massed armed might of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, or in 1973, when a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria initially put Israel on its back foot, until the IDF recovered its equilibrium and pushed the aggressors all the way back to the lines from which they had started Macron’s defeatism is not shared by the people of Israel.
“There is no lasting security for Israel in the region if its security is achieved at the cost of Palestinian lives and thus of the resentment of public opinions in the region. Let’s be collectively lucid,” Macron added.
Yes, let’s all be lucid. That includes Emmanuel Macron, who is under several illusions and confusions. The only way for Israel to “achieve security” is, at a minimum, for it to eradicate Hamas, the terror group whose charter calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state. After that, it will have to deal with the Hezbollah threat in the north. Israel is never going to win over Arab hearts and minds; the “resentment” against the Jews is a result of what Muslims learn about the Jews in the Qur’an and hadith, which together prompt a deep hatred of Jews that is further inculcated in the bloodcurdling sermons of imams and the antisemitic schoolbooks used in Palestinian schools. Israel needs to be perceived by the Arabs, and Iranians, as overwhelmingly strong, so that it would be folly to attack it; that strategy of deterrence is the only sure way to prevent major war breaking out between Israel and any of the Muslim states or terror groups in the region.
Asked for a response to that remark, Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters Israel does not want to see Gaza civilians caught in the crossfire as battles resume.
“Israel is targeting Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization that has committed the most horrific violence against innocent civilians. Israel is making a maximum effort to safeguard Gaza’s civilians,” said Regev.
Mark Regev responded most diplomatically to Macron’s folly. He simply reiterated that Israel is doing all it can to minimize civilian casualties, while Hamas uses civilians as human shields and tries to increase the number who are killed or wounded.. Israel does this by warning civilians away from areas where major hostilities are soon to take place; thus the IDF, about to begin its campaign in northern Gaza, dropped 1.5 million leaflets urging Palestinians in that area to move to the south. And later, when it was about to begin its campaign in southern Gaza, another set of leaflets were dropped, as well as posted on-line, providing maps showing exactly what neighborhoods Palestinians should move to in order to remain safe from Israeli bombardment. In addition, throughout the nearly two months of bombing, the IDF has continued its longstanding practice of warning civilians to leave buildings that are about to be targeted, by messaging, telephoning, emailing, and the “knock-on-the-roof” technique. Israel does this even though it realizes that, in warning civilians, it is also alerting Hamas combatants as to which buildings are about to be hit.
Macron’s naïve and presumptuous belief that he will be able to create the conditions for a permanent “ceasefire” would, if Israel were to submit to his attempted diktat, stop cold the IDF’s eradication of Hamas that is proceeding so well. Hamas would be given a new lease on life, viewed as victorious in the eyes of most Arabs simply because it had managed to inflict such terrible damage on the Israelis, with 1,200 killed on October 7, and at least another dozen hostages murdered in captivity, and would still be standing after that furious Israeli assault lasting more than two months.
Fortunately, the Israelis will simply brush aside Macron’s meddlesome “peacemaking.” Perhaps we should resurrect the famous line spoken by General de Gaulle during a speech, when someone in the audience shouted “Mort aux cons” (Death to the Dopes) and De Gaulle replied “Vaste programme, mon ami, vaste programme.”
As to your big plans for arranging a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Emmanuel, we can only reply:
Vaste programme, President Macron. Vaste programme.
Pray Hard says
Putz, Inc.
Ray Jarman says
This coming from the president of the nation that has went to war with its neighbor, Germany, for an area smaller than Israel, Alsace Lorraine, is laughable. Israel could destroy all of Hamasland’s population and not come close to the number of lives destroyed in wars between France and Germany. In WWI and WWII, France was definitely attacked by an aggressor as has the Jewish State of Israel but no one was telling France to lay down and pretend that they were not invaded. In fact the last two times that France was invaded, the whole of the non-Axes nations rose up and assisted the French people regain their freedom. The Jewish State of Israel, unlike Napoleonic France in Europe, has never attempted to subjugate the entire Middle East. Maybe Macron should reflect on his nation’s past before issuing ludicrous statements concerning Israel.
Why is Israel being told to forget the slaughter of its innocent civilians and wait until the next time and then wait again for the next?
Victor Mc says
Yessir, Macron is yet another dimwitted money-grabbing Western leader talking tripe about Israel about which they know NOTHING. Vile ignorant little man but there are many like him – stupid beyond belief.
maria says
Yes Israel must neutralize all the muslims in Israel otherwise there will be no Israel
Israel is the most wonderful country for all good people but not muslims neonazis who are like hitler who was exactly the same as muslims
somehistory says
Why wouldn’t there be “lasting security” if all of those who want war were taking the long dirt nap?
If hamas is eliminated, there will still be the hezbollah, iran, the houthis and on and on and on. As long as islam exists, there will be terrorism.
But that does not mean that one group of terrorists should be allowed to go on terrorizing and murdering, and raping and mutilating innocent people.
And, there is this:
“Saudi Arabia asks for US ‘restraint’ over Houthi ship attacks in Red Sea”
Everyone wants the mozlum terrorists to go on doing what they do….commit acts of war and terror against anyone and everyone who does not bow and scrape the same way they bow and scrape.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/saudi-arabia-asks-for-us-restraint-over-houthi-ship-attacks-in-red-sea/ar-AA1l5ypI?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ee48688bd6d9489b86c28a55d29c6c61&ei=48
Wellington says
“As long as islam exists, there will be terrorism.”
No truer words could be written, somehistory. But what disconcerts me, as I am certain it does you, is that by now far, far more people in the world, and especially those in the West where wonderful things like liberty and equality under the law have been developed more so than anywhere else on Earth, should have figured this out about Islam by now. Way overdue.
Alas, this has not occurred and whatever reasons why this has not occurred are ignorant reasons, stupid reasons, effectively not real reasons at all but reasons posing as reasons. And fake anything is never conducive to truth and many other positives prevailing. As one example, the idiotic term, “Islamophobia,” serves as ipso facto evidence of reason (and truth) not prevailing but quite the opposite.
somehistory says
Thank you, Wellington. And I agree. There is no reason. And since there is no reason, there are no reasons.
DanC says
Macron, such a clown: so France has problems with Islam/Maghreb newcomers up the wazoo, but he can fix Israel-Hamas conflict no-pb 🙂
ApathyRulesTheWorld says
Macron is a wanker who has no understanding of islam.
Gary Fouse says
MACRON IS A HOPELESS DOPE. HE NEEDS TO WORRY ABOUT HIS OWN COUNTRY.
somehistory says
the saudis want biden to go easy on the houthis. Looks like he will comply
POLITICO
“Biden team wary of retaliating against Houthi attacks at sea”
“Senior Biden administration officials agree that striking Houthis in Yemen is the wrong course of action for now, per three U.S. officials, even though some military officers have proposed more forceful responses to the militants’ attacks in the Red Sea.
There’s high-level consensus within the administration that it does not make sense for the U.S. military to respond directly to the Houthis, the officials said. Although the missile and drone attacks on three civilian vessels on Sunday drew a U.S. Navy warship into an hours-long firefight, U.S. intelligence officials have not determined that the warship was the target.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-team-wary-of-retaliating-against-houthi-attacks-at-sea/ar-AA1l6cCm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=5516302c1161451ea57470840c46a439&ei=28
Sam Balter says
Macron.Stay home.Abd swazzanoof a jelly roll……
MrLogocal says
How should we describe Mr. Macron?
Homer Simpson put it so succinctly:
“Cheese eating surrender monkey.”
The people of France made terrible decisions in their last two elections…
Hopefully, they’ll remember and make proper amends in the next one.
MrLogocal says
Watch for a surprise attack today… somewhere in Israel.
The Muzzies will make efforts to capitalize on the significance of this date.
Living in “infamy’ is just their style. History never repeats, but it does rhyme on occasion.
.
Ketih265 says
Maybe Macron should be more worried about what the followers of the religion of peace are doing in his country and sort that out rather than try to force Israel to give up trying to get their citizens back from murdering raping terrorists.