Israel responds with outrage, ridicule and calls for annexation after France vows to recognize ‘Palestinian state’
Opposition leaders join gov't in condemning Macron's move to 'reward terrorism'
Israeli leaders exploded with outrage and ridicule of French President Emmanuel Macron, after he announced on Thursday his intention to recognize the “State of Palestine” this coming September.
The main tenor of criticism followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s argument that such a recognition, coming “in the wake of the October 7 massacre,” would reward “terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy.”
In an official statement, Netanyahu stressed that “a Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded with several long tweets on 𝕏, ridiculing Macron’s “pretension to conjure up a permanent settlement in our land with a mere utterance” as “absurd and unserious.”
“A Palestinian state will be a Hamas state,” Sa’ar warned. In another post on 𝕏, he reiterated that the true severity of Macron’s move is the reward for Hamas, and questioned why the president chose to announce his intention for a future declaration at this moment.
When these are the ones that applaud you - you better get yourself checked out. pic.twitter.com/Wij5n3u2zS
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 24, 2025
Macron “knows full well that right now negotiations are underway for a framework for the release of hostages and a ceasefire,” Sa’ar said, questioning whether this would help the talks succeed.
“The clear answer: the opposite is true. Such a gift, which Hamas hastened to praise last night, is only expected to harden its positions in the negotiations. The consequences are: prolonging the war, continued abuse of the hostages, and also an extension of the suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sarcastically thanked Macron “for providing yet another compelling reason to finally apply Israeli sovereignty over the historic regions of Judea and Samaria, and to definitively abandon the failed concept of establishing a Palestinian terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel.”
President @EmmanuelMacron,
— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) July 24, 2025
Here is the appropriate response to your recognition of a Palestinian state as as a reward for Hamas terrorism. pic.twitter.com/Ve6c5Op0hN
The Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements, concurred: "We demand that the Israeli government respond to the French President's declaration of recognition of a Palestinian state by applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. The Knesset supported it. Now it's the government's turn."
Several coalition members preferred to mock Macron in their responses.
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli tweeted a GIF of Macron getting slapped by his wife during a visit to Vietnam in May, adding, “On behalf of the Government of Israel, here is our response to your recognition of a Palestinian state.”
Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman posted an AI-generated photo of Macron smooching slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, only commenting: “French kiss.”
Minister of Absorption, Ofir Sofer, used the opportunity to call France’s Jews to immigrate to Israel, “your home.”
“The French government continues to support terrorism. Not only is it not dealing with anti-Semitism in its country, but it is now even choosing to award [reward] terrorism,” Sofer said.
Yuli Edelstein, the recently removed chairman of the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Committee, quipped that Israelis are concerned over “Islamic immigration and its impact on the decision making” in France.
“Wishing the French people success in their struggle for their identity and freedom,” Edelstein added.
Despite the wide differences of opinion on nearly every issue, many opposition leaders joined the government in condemning Macron’s declaration.
Several coalition leaders quickly and sharply condemned the move, including Benny Gantz and Avigdor Liberman.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who is known to have a long-standing and warm relationship with Macron, only responded on Friday morning: “Macron's declaration is a moral error and a political damage. The Palestinians should not receive an award [reward] for October 7 or for supporting Hamas,” he wrote.
However, he also added a jab against the coalition: “A functioning government that does basic political work could have prevented this harmful declaration.”
His former ally and former prime minister, Naftali Bennet, said Macron’s recognition in the wake of Oct. 7 was a “moral collapse.”
“It rewards mass murder and tells Islamist terrorists: kill Jews, and the world will hand you a state. This shameful decision will be tossed into the dustbin of history.”
In the Knesset, only leaders of the left-wing Democrats and the Arab parties welcomed the declaration.
In a sarcastic tweet, MK Gilad Kariv wrote, “Now that I’ve seen the competition between government ministers against the French president and how they manage to stick it to him – some even in English – I’m convinced that our government has a strategy and a plan.”
“I’m sure that with the resumption of the Knesset’s work, they’ll also push for a law banning the sale of baguettes and croissants in Israel (including in Judea and Samaria), and then we’ll really show [the French] what’s what,” he joked, adding, “A bunch of overgrown babies is running our country.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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