ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for remarks accusing France of inaction in the fight against antisemitism, calling the comments an “offense” to the entire country.

In a letter published by French daily Le Monde, Macron stressed that combating antisemitism is an “absolute priority” for France but warned that it “cannot be exploited.”

“These accusations of inaction in the face of a scourge that we are fighting with all our might are unacceptable and offend the whole of France,” Macron wrote.

He went further by pressing Netanyahu to end what he described as Israel’s “deadly and illegal headlong rush into a permanent war in Gaza.”

Macron said the ongoing offensive “exposes your country to indignity and your people to a dead end.”

He also condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, calling it “illegal and unjustifiable recolonization.”

He urged Israel to reverse course, warning that such policies undermine prospects for peace.

Netanyahu had accused Paris last week of not doing enough to curb antisemitism, comments that drew sharp criticism from French officials.

Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.