BS BULLETIN:
- Emmanuel Macron appeared to tell the U.N. that Hamas had “never been active” in the West Bank.
- Israel’s U.N. ambassador told the French president to “do your homework,” while U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee piled on.
- France later said Macron meant that Hamas does not govern the West Bank.
French President Emmanuel Macron managed to turn one line in his United Nations speech into an international fact-check — and now France says something got lost in translation.
Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Macron criticized Israel’s actions in the West Bank and made a remark translated as saying “Hamas was never active in the West Bank.”
That immediately drew a response from Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon.
“French President Emmanuel Macron claimed from the UN podium that Hamas has ‘never been active’ in Judea and Samaria,” Danon wrote on X. “Mr. President, Emmanuel Macron, do your homework before lecturing Israel. Check the facts.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joined the criticism, calling Macron’s U.N. speech “out of touch with reality” and stressing that Hamas has killed American citizens.
France then offered an important clarification.
“The president meant to say that Hamas does not govern the West Bank,” a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Fox News Digital, adding that Macron’s remarks “should therefore not be misinterpreted.”
The controversy unfolded during a U.N. gathering dominated by arguments over Israel, Gaza and the broader Middle East.
President Donald Trump used his own address to defend his administration’s approach and again draw a hard line on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“From the first day I entered the political arena, I have been unwavering — I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Trump pointed to Iran’s support for terrorism and the Oct. 7 attack on Israel while arguing that allowing Tehran to operate behind what he called a “nuclear shield” was a threat the United States could not ignore. The White House published the remarks Tuesday as part of its account of Trump’s U.N. address.
Macron and Trump had also met in New York ahead of the General Assembly, with the two discussing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. France said the leaders agreed to work together on easing tensions affecting global energy markets.
MY QUICK TAKE:
When your foreign ministry has to explain that the president didn’t quite say what everyone heard the president say, you’ve already lost control of the headline.
And telling Israel anything that sounds remotely like “Hamas wasn’t there” was always going to produce receipts.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Fox News — Israel, Huckabee blast Macron over Hamas comments as France clarifies wording
- White House — President Trump addresses the United Nations
- Élysée Palace — Macron at the 81st U.N. General Assembly
- Associated Press — Middle East conflicts loom over U.N. General Assembly
