Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday excoriated French President Emmanuel Macron for praising Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s “courage” for sending him a letter promising to “condemn terror and work toward the release of Israeli hostages, the demilitarization of Hamas, the end of the war in Gaza, reforms, elections, and just and lasting peace for all in the region.”

The antisemitic Macron, who in recent months and weeks, has repeatedly condemned Israel and threatened to recognize a Palestinian state, is very “excited” by the letter, since it provides him a front of not legitimizing terror by authorizing a Palestinian state.

Sa’ar responded to Macron’s comments by stating, “President Macron expresses excitement over the orchestrated letter he received from Mahmoud Abbas. What made the French president so enthusiastic about a letter full of empty slogans, hollow promises that have been made countless times before, and lies that have no connection to reality?”

“614 days have passed since the murderous terror attack of October 7th. Only now does Mahmoud Abbas remember to respond, using weak and feeble language, not even in his own voice, but in a letter to the French president about the largest massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, carried out by members of his own people. As if France had been the target of the attack.

“A sad joke.

“The corrupt and failed President of the Palestinian Authority claims that he ‘opposes terror.’ That’s about as true as Yasser Arafat’s claim to ‘oppose terror’ back in 1993. In reality, Abbas and the Palestinian Authority continue to pay salaries to terrorists and their families, thus encouraging terror to this very day.

“What exactly has Abbas done to fight terror in Judea and Samaria, including Hamas terror? Absolutely nothing. How many terrorists are sitting in his prisons? None.

“This joke is not at Macron’s expense. It is Israel that has been paying the painful price for decades due to the Palestinian Authority’s unwavering commitment to the ethos of terrorism.

“Abbas’s talk of willingness to dismantle Hamas in Gaza and of the PA’s intention to take control there is laughable and entirely detached from reality. We all remember how the Palestinian Authority (which at the time was far stronger militarily than Hamas) fled Gaza shortly after Israel withdrew. Even more so: Abbas cannot even maintain control over the PA’s own territories in Judea and Samaria.

“If, heaven forbid, a Palestinian state is established—and it will not be—the exact same processes that occurred after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the rise of Hamas will unfold at lightning speed.

“Abbas boasts of reforms. Another lie jointly embraced by him and Macron. What real reforms has he actually implemented? The incitement against Israel remains exactly the same: in schools, in textbooks, in Palestinian media, and in mosques. And so does the continued policy of rewarding terrorists (the infamous “Pay for Slay”).

“President Macron is thrilled, and sees ‘hope.’ What hope exactly?

“Israel will not base its policy or its future on empty illusions that have blown up in our faces countless times. If Macron is so eager for a Palestinian state—he is welcome to establish one in France’s vast territory,” Sa’ar concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)