Emmanuel Macron estimated on Wednesday November 15 that the “debate” around his absence from the march against anti-Semitism “had no reason to exist”, his “role” being in particular to “continue to preserve in this period the unity of the country”.

Sunday’s march, “I share the expectations. But my role is not to take a walk. My role is to work to help the release of our hostages,” continued the Head of State during a press conference in Switzerland. “And my role is to continue to preserve, in this period, the unity of the country and to never send each other back to back,” he insisted.

The French president was also questioned about a lack of clarity regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, which some accuse him of. He claimed to defend a “balanced” position which had “never varied”. “We fully recognize Israel’s right to defend itself and fight terrorism, but because Israel is a democracy (…), this right to defend itself must be within the framework of international law humanitarian and respecting the rules of war (…). We have never varied,” he said.

This position “is to never compromise on Israel’s right to live in peace and security in the region, and France has also always supported the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and will continue to work for a two-state solution.” , insisted the president. “We never varied,” he insisted. He also said he “accepts all of the comments” made in an interview with the BBC, which prompted Israelis to ask for “clarification”.

“No double standards for France”

“I claim and assume responsibility for all of the comments that I was able to make in front of your colleagues in the Anglo-Saxon press, because they correspond to this line which also condemns the bombings against civilian populations and which is moved by the same way a child is killed. (…) “There is no double standard for France,” he said.

Asked about the situation at Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, Emmanuel Macron condemned “with the greatest firmness” the bombings of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. He insisted that this was “not just for the buildings, but [also for] the people who care for them”, recalling that dozens of humanitarian workers and international civil servants had died in the intensive bombings carried out by Israel in the Palestinian enclave since the unprecedented attack by the Islamist movement Hamas on October 7 on Israeli territory.

The Israeli army’s operation in the Al-Shifa hospital, sheltering according to it a strategic Hamas base, aroused serious concerns and condemnations on Wednesday from actors in the international community.