French Pres. Urges Israel To Stop Gaza Bombing That Kills Babies, Women, Old People

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) LONDON, Nov 10 (KUNA) -- In an exclusive interview with BBC at the Elysee Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron said there was "no justification" for the bombing, saying a ceasefire would benefit Israel.
While recognising Israel's right to protect itself, "we do urge them to stop this bombing" in Gaza.
When asked if he wanted other leaders - including in the US and the UK - to join his calls for a ceasefire, he replied: "I hope they will."
Speaking the day after a humanitarian aid conference in Paris about the war in Gaza, Mr Macron said the "clear conclusion" of all governments and agencies present at that summit was "that there is no other solution than first a humanitarian pause, going to a ceasefire, which will allow [us] to protect... all civilians .
"De facto - today, civilians are bombed - de facto. These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed. So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy. So we do urge Israel to stop."
Macron said he disagreed that the best way for Israel to "protect [itself] is having a large bombing of Gaza", saying it was creating "resentment and bad feelings" in the region that would prolong the conflict.
In a wide-ranging interview at the end of the first day of an annual Paris Peace Forum, the French president also discussed:
Fears of violence spilling over from the Middle East into France, urging citizens of all faiths to be "united against antisemitism"
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it was France's "duty" to help Ukraine - but suggesting there may come a time for "fair and good negotiations" with Moscow.
Extremism online, saying Facebook's parent company Meta and Google "just don't deliver" on moderation and the dangers of climate change, saying it was pushing people around the world toward "terrorism".
Macron then moved on to other global issues, including Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The French president said it was the "duty" of his country and all countries to support Ukraine in its defence. But he also said the next month would be critical, as it struggles to retake lost land in counteroffensive operations.
He said it was "not yet" time for Ukraine to come to the table, and stressed the decision to negotiate was Kyiv's alone. But he added there may come a time to "have fair and good negotiations, and to come back to the table and find a solution with Russia".
Macron also discussed online extremism - a key topic at the Paris Peace Forum.
He singled out Facebook's parent company Meta and Google, saying the companies "simply don't deliver" on promises they made to moderate hate speech on their platforms.
He said many online platforms lacked sufficient moderators for French language content, calling it a "shame", and promising to "push them" on the issue.
And he said that climate change was causing terrorism in parts of the world, specifically mentioning the effects of global warming in lower water levels at Lake Chad in Western Africa.
"As a consequence of climate change, a lot of families living as fishermen [suffered]... A lot of species just disappeared. And it created politics [that] pushed a lot of people to terrorism."
"We need international cooperation [to tackle global issues]... This is a unique chance."(end)
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