Macron rejects Trump’s proposal to expel Gaza’s residents, stressing respect for Palestinians and a political solution, while Germany calls for real peace.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “respect” for Palestinians and rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly displace Gaza’s residents.
“You cannot say to 2 million people, ‘okay, now guess what? You will move,’” Macron told CNN in an exclusive interview recorded on Thursday.
“The right answer is not a real estate operation, this is a political operation,” he added.
“The right answer is not a real estate operation”
President @EmmanuelMacron responds to Donald Trump’s comments on Gaza in an exclusive interview with @richardquest.
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— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) February 11, 2025
“This is a place where two million people live and want to live,” Macron emphasized.
The French president said any “efficient” response to rebuilding Gaza “doesn’t mean automatically that you should lack respect to people or countries.”
Trump has been widely condemned for remarks earlier this month about “owning Gaza” and turning it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” He urged the relocation of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt, a proposal rejected by the two nations and slammed by several other countries.
Disagreement with Netanyahu
While France expressed its “full solidarity” with Israel after the October 7 Resistance operation, Macron told CNN that “I always reiterated my disagreement with (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu.”
“I don’t believe, once again, that such a massive operation targeting sometimes civilian people is the right answer,” the French president said.
Trump’s Vision for Gaza: A ‘Riviera’ Built on Ethnic Cleansing
He went on to say that an “efficient” response to rebuilding Gaza “doesn’t mean automatically that you should lack respect to people or countries.”
France suspended arms exports to the Israeli army in October 2024, calling on other nations to follow suit.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, cited by the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), France did not export any major arms to Israel in recent years but has supplied components for arms.
Reach ‘Real Peace’ – Germany
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized that there “must be no expulsion from Gaza” and called on the US and Israel to make every effort to reach a “perspective for real peace” in the enclave.
“The civilian population in #Gaza has been through the worst. Food, medicine and reconstruction are now the most important things,” Baerbock said on X on Tuesday.
Die Zivilbevölkerung in #Gaza hat Schlimmstes durchgemacht. Lebensmittel, Medizin & Wiederaufbau sind nun das Wichtigste. Auch dafür braucht es den Waffenstillstand. Und das Völkerrecht ist klar: Es darf keine Vertreibung aus Gaza geben. 2/3
— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) February 11, 2025
“The ceasefire is also needed for this, and international law is clear: there must be no expulsion from Gaza.”
The German official said the ceasefire is currently hanging by a thread, and claimed that Hamas was “irresponsible” in “carelessly jeopardizing the deal.”
“The Israeli government and the US must also do everything to ensure that we get into the second phase of the deal and to a perspective for real peace,” said Baerbock.
Captive Exchange Postponed
The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, announced on Monday that the release of Israeli prisoners held by the movement would be postponed.
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Brigades, explained that the delay is due to Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Abu Obeida Says Release of Israeli Detainees Delayed Due to Israeli Violations
He stated that the Israeli occupation forces had failed to honor the terms of the deal over the past three weeks, including preventing the return of displaced people to northern Gaza and targeting them with shelling and gunfire.
Abu Obeida emphasized that the Israeli authorities had also obstructed “the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations.”
“The handover of the Zionist prisoners, which was scheduled for Saturday, February 15, will be postponed until further notice, until the occupation fulfills its commitments,” he declared.
(PC, MEMO)
