France accuses Israel of 'scandalous' tolerance of occupied West Bank violence and land seizures

France has accused the Israeli government of exhibiting a "guilty and scandalous" level of tolerance towards escalating violence against Palestinians and the persistent seizure of Palestinian territory across the occupied West Bank.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that there has been an unprecedented surge in violence committed by extremist Israelis against Palestinians in the occupied territory."There is a guilty and scandalous level of tolerance on the part of the Israeli government towards what is happening in the West Bank," Barrot told France Inter radio andFrance 2 television.His remarks follow similar statements delivered by French President Emmanuel Macron at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Macron observed that daily violations are being carried out in the West Bank and noted that Palestinian resistance group Hamas has never operated in the territory.Macron defendedBarrot 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.