French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that any Israeli attempt to annex parts of the West Bank would cross a “red line” for the United States and risk ending Arab-Israeli diplomatic normalisation under the Abraham Accords. Macron said former U.S. President Donald Trump personally assured him that annexation would jeopardize the landmark agreements.
Macron revealed he had presented Trump with a multi-stage plan for Palestine’s future, built on the New York Declaration. The plan calls for excluding Hamas from governance in Gaza and the West Bank, pushing for a ceasefire, and securing the release of hostages. He stressed that the U.S. has the leverage needed to pressure Israel, warning that without progress, Europe might be forced to consider sanctions.
He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach, saying that “total war” in Gaza had failed to reduce Hamas’s strength and endangered civilians and hostages. Macron insisted that the long-term solution must include reforms within the Palestinian Authority and a clear political pathway for Palestinians. He also cautioned that annexation would leave Israel isolated and undermine prospects for peace.
Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Washington on Monday and address the UN General Assembly later this week, with annexation pressure from his coalition partners looming large. Macron said failure to provide Palestinians with political hope would risk driving them toward greater violence and instability.
