Israel's security requires diplomatic solution, not force alone, French foreign minister says

Israel's security cannot be guaranteed with military force alone and will require a diplomatic solution, France's foreign minister said on Monday, at the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre.

Speaking at the end of a four-day tour of the Middle East, Jean-Noel Barrot was in Israel on Monday to mark a year since Hamas terrorists killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza.

"Force alone cannot guarantee the security of Israel, your security. Military success cannot be a substitute for a political perspective," Barrot told reporters during a visit to Israel.

"To bring the hostages home to their loved ones, to allow the displaced to return home in the North, after a year of war, the time for diplomacy has come."

Barrot's arrival in Israel, where about 180,000 French citizens live, came at a tricky time in Franco-Israeli relations after President Emmanuel Macron was firmly rebuffed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his calls for a de facto arms embargo on Israel this weekend.

France is a 'staunch defender' of Israeli security

Barrot reiterated that it was odd to call for a ceasefire while giving offensive weapons. He said that France, as a staunch defender of Israel's security, felt it was vital to be frank about the ongoing suffering of civilians in Gaza but also the military operation now in southern Lebanon.

The French-US. proposal for a ceasefire to end fighting in Lebanon remains on the table, with parties continuing to work on it, he said.

"We have a responsibility to act today to avoid Lebanon finding itself in a short horizon in a dramatic situation like Syria found itself a few years ago," Barrot said.