Macron's Hamas comments at UN were translation 'misinterpretation,' French source tells 'Post'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced Macron's comments earlier on Wednesday, with Netanyahu calling the statements “outrageous.”Follow us on GoogleFrench President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City.(photo credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 11:33Updated: SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 11:59French President Emmanuel Macron's earlier comments on Hamas's West Bank operations were a translation "misinterpretation," a French diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.According to the source, the statement was translated as "Hamas has never been particularly active," but the meaning of the French phrase stated by Macron, "le Hamas n'a jamais sévi en Cisjordanie," is "Hamas has never governed the West Bank."The apparent clarification follows criticism from several Israeli officials after Macron made the comments during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York."Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where day after day we see violations," he said. "And in the name of what?"Macron added that the international community must protect "the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," including their right to exist.French President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hold hands as they arrive for a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, November 11, 2025. (credit: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL VIA REUTERS)Macron's comments denounced by Netanyahu, SmotrichPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced Macron's comments earlier on Wednesday, with Netanyahu calling the statements “outrageous.”“The absurdity of Emmanuel Macron's words is unbelievable,” he said, alluding to the murder of "French citizen and father of six," Netanel Chkroun, who was killed in a West Bank terror attack on Sunday while "bathing with his sons at a spring before Yom Kippur.""Hamas terrorists are carrying out attacks against Jews almost every day," he added. "They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria. Ignorance is no excuse for erasing their blood."Smotrich claimed that Macron was “lying,” noting that Chkroun was murdered by a “despicable terrorist from the Hamas terrorist organization."“This is just one attack out of hundreds that the Hamas terrorist organization has carried out," said Smotrich. "The terrorist organization is fueling Arab terrorism in Judea and Samaria, and it is a significant part of its activities.”Ariella Roitman and Maariv contributed to this report.Follow us on Google