Israel-Hamas: Received by Macron, party leaders unanimous on hostages but divided on aid to Palestinians

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Ludovic MARIN / AFP 16:23 p.m., October 12, 2023

Unanimity on hostages, differences on aid to Palestinians: party leaders expressed Thursday their positions to Emmanuel Macron, who must address the French, in search of "unity of the Nation" in the face of the risks of tensions in France after the attack of Hamas in Israel. Opponents and allies of the head of state were received for more than two hours at the Elysée Palace for a closed-door exchange on the situation in the Middle East, where the French death toll from the attack launched on Saturday by the Palestinian Islamist movement has risen further.

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At least 12 French people have died and 17 are missing, according to the latest official figures. President Emmanuel Macron said four children were among those unaccounted for, according to participants in the meeting. He is due to speak in a solemn televised address at 20 p.m.

All party leaders condemn Hamas' attack

The leaders of the 11 parties represented in parliament all expressed, despite sometimes different terms, their condemnation of the Hamas attack. "I trust naturally (...) to the French authorities to do everything possible to ensure that, in general, all hostages are released," and particularly the French, said the president of Les Républicains Eric Ciotti as he left the party. "I am convinced that France will do everything possible to free the French hostages and others," echoed the leader of the ecologists Marine Tondelier, in a rare spirit of national unity.

Beyond that, the oppositions have expressed their nuances to the head of state. The coordinator of La France Insoumise Manuel Bompard said he was "disgusted" by the "small political battles" while his radical left movement is accused on all sides, including by its allies, of not clearly describing Hamas as a "terrorist" organization. He arrived and left alone without the other NUPES leaders, unlike the previous meeting with the President of the Republic at the end of August.

France should carry a "singular voice", says Olivier Faure

Appearing with Marine Tondelier, the boss of the Socialists, Olivier Faure, insisted on the "singular voice" that France should carry to "continue to promote" a "word of peace", in order to "prevent the emotion from turning into a generalized bloodbath". Support for Israel cannot be "unconditional", but limited by "international law", he said, regretting that Paris is too "aligned".

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On the far right, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella protested against the "red carpet" rolled out "in Qatar", which he said was "financial support for Hamas". Éric Ciotti said he was "disappointed by the maintenance" of development aid to the Palestinians, which the right had called for to be suspended. It's time for gravity. The death toll from the Islamist movement's attack exceeds 1,200, while the Israeli response in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 1,300 people, according to Hamas authorities.

More than 2,000 reports on the Pharos platform

According to his entourage, Emmanuel Macron wanted by this meeting, welcomed by opponents, to promote "the unity of the Nation" at a time when the executive takes seriously the risk of tensions in France. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced Thursday that he had recorded "more than a hundred anti-Semitic acts" since Saturday affecting Europe's largest Jewish community, with some 500,000 people.

Its services reported 41 arrests, while Pharos, the platform for reporting online hate, received more than 2,000 reports. But the minister assured that "for the intelligence services, there is no sign in the neighborhoods, in the street" of importing the conflict in France.

France strongly condemned the "terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas" and affirmed its "full support" for Israel, as well as its "attachment" to its "right to defend itself". On Wednesday, government spokesman Olivier Véran also called for "avoiding the escalation situation" and "protecting civilians". France wants "a political resolution of the conflict" for "the search for a lasting peace", he said.