Barrot defended the French president, insisting his comments must not be taken out of context.
“The president’s argument is clear: the Israeli government’s policy is not weakening Palestinian resistance group Hamas, neither in Gaza nor in the West Bank,” Barrot affirmed.
When questioned whether Hamas operates within the occupied West Bank, Barrot declined to give a direct “yes” or “no”, maintaining that Paris’s stance diverges from that of the Israeli government and asserting that countering Hamas cannot serve as a justification for condoning unlawful actions in the territory.
Turning to wider European security, Barrot cautioned that hostile Russian actions directed at European nations, including France, have escalated sharply since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.