ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday warned that the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank poses an “existential threat” to the future state of Palestine, calling it “unacceptable and contrary to international law.”

Speaking in Paris at a meeting that brought together European and Arab ministers to discuss post-war arrangements in Gaza, Macron said settlement construction “fuels tensions, violence and instability” and “directly contradicts the American peace plan and our collective ambition for the region.”

“The acceleration of settlement construction in the West Bank constitutes an existential threat to the state of Palestine. It is not only unacceptable and contrary to international law, but it also contradicts the goals of the previous US administration, as it endangers the Abraham Accords,” Macron said.

He urged all sides to avoid opening “another zone of conflict” as efforts continue to secure a permanent ceasefire and rebuild Gaza.

“We must remain very vigilant about the situation in the West Bank,” he said.

"Self-determination and the creation of a state, the unity of Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, must not remain a vague goal," he added.

"In this regard, the coming hours will be decisive. I would like to emphasize first that Israel, at this very moment, must now approve this plan, which finally offers families waiting in inhumane anxiety for their loved ones the prospect of reunion, and offers the entire Israeli people a new perspective other than endless war," Macron said.

He stressed that last night’s “historic agreement” reached in Sharm el-Sheikh, which he said followed “two years of unbearable suffering," must pave the way for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and immediate humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.

Macron also reaffirmed France’s commitment to a two-state solution and to supporting the US-backed ceasefire plan aimed at stabilizing Gaza and advancing “a political solution leading to peaceful coexistence in the region.”

"President Trump has charted an ambitious course for a comprehensive agreement in the Middle East. This commitment is essential, and we are here to support that vision — a vision of a permanent ceasefire, of the stabilization of Gaza," he said.