Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior Israeli leaders strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on Thursday to recognise a Palestinian state, warning that the move rewards terrorism and threatens Israel’s security, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Netanyahu issued a sharp statement, saying, “Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on X, stating: “I thank President Emmanuel Macron for providing an additional — and most compelling — reason to finally implement Israeli sovereignty over the historic regions of Judea and Samaria, and to put an end once and for all to the dangerous illusion of a terrorist Palestinian state in the heart of Israel.”