Dozens of demonstrators rallied in Al-Manara Square, in the center of Ramallah, Palestine, and burned photographs of French President Emmanuel Macron in protest of his visit to the occupied territories, according to a “Russia Today” video posted on Monday.
Despite his strong position and unconditional support for Israel, Macron is scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in conjunction with a tour of Israel that the French president has started.
Demonstrators held up banners denouncing the French president’s visit and his bias toward Israel in its war on Gaza.
After arriving in West Jerusalem, Macron called for the creation of an international coalition to combat what he termed “terrorist groups.” Speaking at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, “I’m here [in Israel] to express my support and solidarity, and our support today and tomorrow in all areas of this war against terrorism.”
For the eighteenth consecutive day, the Israeli army is continuing its full bombardment of Gaza with intense air strikes that have leveled entire neighborhoods, killing 5,791 Palestinians, including 2,360 children, 1,292 women and 295 elderly people, and wounding 16,297, in addition to approximately 1,550 who are missing and presumably have yet to be found under the rubble.
Hamas’s deadly October 7 attack killed over 1,400 Israelis and wounded 5,132, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. Hamas also took more than 200 Israelis hostage, including high-ranking military officers, but released four women. Hamas seeks to exchange them for more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, currently held in indefinite “administrative detention” in Israeli jails.