Israel Will Not Join President Macron's Trilateral Framework To Defuse Tensions With Hezbollah

JAKARTA - Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ruled out the possibility of Israel joining the initiative promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron, in which France, the United States, and Israel will form a contact group to work to ease tensions that escalate with Hezbollah on the northern border.

"When we fought fairly, defending our people, France has adopted an unfriendly policy towards Israel," Gallant said in a statement.

"By doing so, France ignores the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli children, women and men," he continued.

"Israel will not be a party in the trilateral framework proposed by France," he wrote.

His remarks came after President Macron announced yesterday that the three countries had agreed to work together to step up efforts to push the roadmap presented by Paris earlier this year to defuse the conflict, which has been established since the Hamas massacre on October 7 in southern Israel.

France and the United States have in recent months sought to ease tensions, with Paris submitting a written proposal to both sides aimed at stopping worsening conditions between them on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

"With the United States we agree on the principle of trilateral (contact groups), Israel, the United States and France to advance our proposed roadmap and we will do the same with Lebanese authorities," President Macron told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

Hezbollah himself has ruled out ending hostilities until there was a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

This week, tensions on the border escalated after Israeli airstrikes killed one of Hezbollah's senior field commanders, which was met with the Hezbollah rocket salvo that caused a fire in northern Israel.