Despite deep disagreement with US President Donald Trump's recent announcement about Jerusalem, French President Emmanuel Macron made clear Sunday in Paris that he has no intention now of floating an alternative peace plan to replace what the US is working on.
Following Wednesday's announcement by Trump that the US now recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, some Palestinian officials have called for France and the EU to step in and replace the US as the chief mediator, arguing that Washington has removed itself as an honest broker.
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Macron, speaking at a press conference alongside with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made clear that Paris has no intention right now of reviving the French initiative which died earlier this year when presidents Francois Hollande and Barack Obama left office.
The French president said that he wanted to wait and see what the US would propose as part of a plan being worked on by a team led by Trump's son-in-law and top advisor Jared Kushner.
“The situation is already complicated enough without being aggravated by outside influences,” Macron said through a translator. “When an initiative has been announced, you must not multiply initiatives, because too many initiatives may be counterproductive.”
Macron said that the US has declared its will to mediate between the sides, “so let's see in the weeks and months ahead what they propose. They wish to play the role of the mediator, and it is up to the parties to say whether they accept that or not.”
Macron suggested to Netanyahu, who said in his opening remarks that there is a need to “give peace a chance,” that one way to do that would be to make a gesture toward the Palestinians. His suggestion for gestures: a settlement freeze and recognition of the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu, earlier in the press conference, said that “the most important thing about peace is to recognize that the other side has the right to exist. I think that is what is holding up the peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” He said that one of the manifestations of the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist is the consistent refusal to negotiate.
Netanyahu said his gesture to the Palestinians, one that he has offered “continuously, “ is an invitation to PA President Mahmoud Abbas to sit down and negotiate.
“That is a gesture for peace,” he said. “Nothing could be simpler. If he wants peace, he will sit down and talk. End of speech.”
While the press conference was cordial, with Netanyahu referring to Macron as a friend and saying he is an important world leader, the differences between the two men over the Jerusalem issue was glaring.
Macron began the press conference by condemning the terrorist attack in Jerusalem, and then going on to say that he explained to Netanyahu his “disapproval” of Trump's move, calling it a “contradiction of international law and dangerous to peace” because of the short term instability it will cause.
Netanyahu disagreed, and opened up his comment by saying “it is a pleasure to see you again in Paris -- Paris is the capital of France; Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It has been the capital of Israel for 3000 years, and of the Jewish state for 70 years. We respect your history and your choices, and we know that as a friend you respect ours.”
Netanyahu said that the recognition of Jerusalem was essential for the peace process, because “what peace requires is to be built on the foundation of truth.”
Referring to efforts in the UN, UNESCO and elsewhere to deny the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that the city has always been the capital of the Jewish people, has never been the capital of any other nation, and that “the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we will move toward peace.”