Speaking at his final United Nations General Assembly address on September 22, 2026, President Macron condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza and accused Israel of daily violations in the West Bank, insisting that “Hamas has never struck in the West Bank.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded with a strongly worded statement, calling Macron’s claim “staggering” and asserting that “Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day” and have murdered “countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria,” the biblical name for the West Bank.
The Israeli government highlighted the September 20 shooting death of Netanel Shukrun, a French‑citizen Israeli settler and father of six, who was killed on the eve of Yom Kippur. The Israeli military said it apprehended the Palestinian gunman at a hospital and subsequently raided his village, while a minister in Netanyahu’s coalition called for the gunman’s execution under a newly enacted law.
The incident comes amid a pattern of settler‑related violence. The United Nations reported roughly six daily incidents of settlers attacking Palestinians or their property in the West Bank through mid‑2026. French‑British sanctions on products from Israeli settlements, announced earlier this year, have further strained diplomatic ties.
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also rebuked Macron, labeling the French leader’s speech “out of touch” and emphasizing Hamas as an “evil scourge” that has killed American citizens. The diplomatic row underscores the widening gap between Israel and several Western capitals over settlement policy and the push for a Palestinian state, a cause championed by Macron at last year’s UNGA.