Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: OLSI SHEHU / ANADOLU / ANADOLU VIA AFP 22:37 p.m., October 22, 2023

The Elysée Palace said on Sunday evening that Emmanuel Macron would visit Israel on Tuesday, a little more than two weeks after Hamas' terror attack on the Jewish state. The head of the Israeli government had previously indicated the upcoming visits of the French President and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Tel Aviv on Tuesday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Elysee Palace announced on Sunday. The head of the Israeli government had indicated, shortly before on X (ex-Twitter), the upcoming visit of the French president and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the leaders for their support of Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas's brutal terrorism.

French President Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte will arrive tomorrow and Tuesday and will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 22, 2023

The French president's visit comes more than two weeks after deadly Palestinian Hamas attacks on Israeli territory, which killed more than 1,400 people, including 30 French nationals. In addition, seven French people are still missing: one young woman has hostage status and "for the other six, there is a presumption of hostage-taking, but without certainty," Macron said.

The resumption of a "political process"

U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have already visited Israel, as has Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday. Emmanuel Macron, for his part, repeated on Friday that he would go to the Middle East if he managed to "obtain useful elements" for the region thanks to this trip.

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He cited "Israel's security," the "fight against terrorist groups," the non-escalation of the conflict and the resumption of a "political process" toward a two-state solution, Israeli and Palestinian. The French president expressed unwavering support for the Israelis, their "right to defend themselves", but also called for a "targeted" Israeli response against Hamas in Gaza in order to "spare" Palestinian civilians.

Joe Biden spoke on the phone on Sunday about the war between Hamas and Israel with Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Justin Trudeau, Olaf Scholz, Giorgia Meloni and Rishi Sunak.