**Netanyahu Criticizes Macron's Remarks on Israel's Founding and Arms Embargo**

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed strong disapproval toward French President Emmanuel Macron's recent comments attributing the creation of Israel to a United Nations decision. Macron, while addressing his cabinet, stated, "Mr Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the U.N." This remark referred to the 1947 United Nations General Assembly resolution that proposed partitioning Britain's Palestinian mandate into separate Jewish and Arab states.

In response, Netanyahu emphasized that the State of Israel was not established solely by a U.N. decision but through the sacrifices made during the War of Independence. "A reminder to the French President: It was not a UN decision that established the State of Israel but the victory that was achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France," Netanyahu stated. Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, and subsequently won a war against invading Arab nations a year later.

Macron's comments also came amid calls for an end to arms exports to the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to facilitate a cease-fire. This call aligns with Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, which escalated following an unprovoked attack by the terror group on October 7, 2023. Additionally, Israel has been conducting military operations in Lebanon due to continued rocket fire from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group.

Netanyahu criticized Macron and other Western leaders for their stance on arms embargoes, arguing that it unfairly targets Israel while Iran continues to supply weapons to its proxies. "As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side, yet President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them," Netanyahu declared.

He accused these countries of hypocrisy, saying, "Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together, but countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel." Despite the criticism, Netanyahu asserted that Israel would continue its efforts and ultimately prevail in the conflict, though he predicted that the shame of those calling for the embargo would linger.

Earlier this month, Macron announced that France would halt arms supplies to Israel but would continue to provide missile defense equipment. "I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron stated in an interview.