Netanyahu Hits Back After Macron’s Claim Hamas ‘Never Operated’ in West Bank

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron after he said that Hamas has “never operated” in the West Bank during his speech at the UN General Assembly.

France later clarified that Macron had intended to say Hamas does not govern the territory, rather than that the group has never operated there.

Macron made the remark while criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. “Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where every day violations are committed. In whose name? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank.”

Netanyahu’s office strongly condemned the remark, calling it a “grotesque absurdity” and pointing to Hamas attacks carried out in Judea and Samaria. It specifically cited Sunday’s attack, in which French-Israeli citizen Netanel Shukrun was killed by a gunman whom Israeli security officials identified as a Hamas operative.

In addition to Netanyahu, several other Israeli politicians released strong statements. Eisenkot, who previously commanded the Judea and Samaria Division, called the remark “extremely divorced from the reality on the ground,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Macron of lying.

Hamas has maintained a presence in Judea and Samaria for decades and has carried out numerous attacks against Israelis. However, unlike Gaza, which Hamas took control of in 2007, parts of Judea and Samaria are administered by the Palestinian Authority, led by Hamas’s political rival, Fatah.

The dispute comes amid wider diplomatic tensions between Israel and France. France recognized a Palestinian state last year, and on September 8, Macron joined the leaders of Britain and Canada in announcing plans to ban imports from Israeli settlements. The three leaders said the measures were intended to protect a two-state solution while reaffirming their commitment to Israel's security.