AFP — Israelis vented their anger at French President Emmanuel Macron for his decision, announced Thursday, to recognize a Palestinian state in September.

The anger was particularly acute among French Israelis, who called it a “slap in the face” and an “abandonment.”

In Sderot, a city just a few hundred yards from the Gaza border, David Brodey, a 75-year-old retired teacher, said later Thursday: “I feel betrayed, totally betrayed by the European countries. I hope that others do not follow Macron’s lead here.”

He called the move “totally unproductive for reaching any solution between us and the Palestinians.”

Ross Singer, 57, and a tour guide, said that while he hoped for “a better future” for the Palestinians, he worried recognition “may send the wrong message to the Palestinian leadership about the repercussions of October 7.”

Hadass Zakai, an occupational therapist, said the move was “more antisemitic… than supportive of Palestinians,” questioning why Macron was focused on Gaza and not other crises.

Macron’s move came amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with aid agencies warning of widespread hunger, and failed efforts to bring an end to the war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack and to free the hostages still held by the terror group.

Netanyahu and much of the Israeli right........

© The Times of Israel