ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - France said on Thursday that they saw prospects for an end to Israel’s wars on Lebanon and Gaza in the wake of the reelection of Donal Trump as the President of the United States.
"I believe a window has opened for putting an end to the tragedy in which Israelis, Palestinians, and the entire region have been immersed since October 7" last year, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a press conference with his outgoing Israeli counterpart Israel Katz in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Donald Trump was reelected President of the United States after he secured the 270 electoral votes required to be elected, besting his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrot pinned hope on Trump’s “wish to see the end of the Middle East’s endless wars,” for the end of Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as Israel’s recent “tactical successes,” following the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah’s top leaders and military commanders.
The visiting French minister wished for a “diplomatic solution… in the coming weeks” to broker a ceasefire.
"Force alone will not be enough to guarantee Israel's security," he said, adding that "military success could not be a substitute for a political perspective”.
"It is time to move towards a deal that would allow for the liberation of all hostages, a ceasefire, and the mass entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to prepare for the day after,” detailed.
Two weeks after the start of Israel’s bombing campaign on Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel, calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid further escalations, joining the UK, which made a similar decision in September.
Netanyahu immediately condemned Macron’s move as "a disgrace” and rejected any calls for a ceasefire.
Once he has wrapped up his visit to Israel, Barrot will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas and his prime minister, Muhammad Mustafa.
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