Iran Responds to Macron's Call to Create Coalition Against Hamas

The call by French President Emmanuel Macron to create a Western coalition against the Palestinian Hamas movement is a "major mistake." If such a coalition is formed, Muslim countries will promptly establish their own coalition in support of Hamas and Palestine, said FadaHossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Yesterday, the French leader arrived in Israel for a visit to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. During a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Macron proposed the establishment of a coalition to combat Hamas.

“You can be sure. If France, and the West in general, does this, I can confidently say that it will occur. If a new front is created by Israel against the Palestinian people, and its crimes continue, do not doubt that such a front or coalition will be established (in defense of Hamas), which will include many Muslim countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt,” Maleki stated, responding to a question about whether a coalition would be formed by Palestine and Hamas in response to a potential Western coalition against the Palestinian movement.

He also deemed Macron's call to create a coalition of Western countries against Hamas as a "major mistake." The Iranian official did not rule out that the French president's rhetoric regarding the Palestinian movement might be linked to internal issues faced by Macron's government, such as the rise of migrants from Arab countries and Islamic radicalism in European countries.