An Israeli soldier detains a Palestinian during a raid in the Palestinian town of Beddu, northwest of Jerusalem, Sept. 21, 2026. (Credit: Zain Jaafar/AFP)
Israel rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday after he criticized Israeli actions in the West Bank in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
In his last speech as president addressing the U.N.'s signature annual diplomatic gathering, Macron deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as Israeli policy in the West Bank.
Macron said that "Hamas has never struck in the West Bank," a territory under Israeli occupation since 1967.
"The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron's statement is staggering," said a statement by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to deliver a defiant address to the world body on Thursday.
Netanyahu's office pointed to the shooting death on Sunday of an Israeli settler in the West Bank. Israel said that the victim, father of six Netanel Shukrun, also had French citizenship.
The Israeli military said it arrested the Palestinian gunman at a hospital and troops later raided his village. A minister in Netanyahu's government called for his execution under a new law that allows the death penalty for Palestinians accused of "terrorism."
Extremist Israeli settlers frequently attack and steal from Palestinians in the West Bank under the cover of the Israeli military. The United Nations said there were about six settler-related violent incidents against Palestinians or their property daily through mid-2026 in the territory.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, also denounced Macron's remarks.
"Hard to imagine a more out of touch with reality speech than Macron at U.N.," Huckabee wrote on X on Wednesday.
"Hamas is an evil scourge, and they have killed innocent American citizens."
In his Tuesday speech, Macron railed against the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged countries to recommit to international laws and the U.N. system.
"What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza? Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. It is a spectacle that shames us all," Macron said.
"Look at what is happening in West Bank, where there are violations every day. In the name of what? Hamas has never struck in the West Bank. This every day makes it more impossible to achieve respect for the Palestinian people's legitimate right to exist."
Netanyahu has poor relations with Macron who led a push by Western nations at last year's U.N. General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state.
France recently joined Britain in imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, again angering the Israeli government.
