Israel Katz Responds to Macron, Reaffirms Commitment to Jewish State Amid Settlement Growth

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday launched a scathing rebuke of French President Emmanuel Macron and other international leaders, vowing to entrench Israeli control over the occupied West Bank by building what he called a “Jewish Israeli state.”

His remarks followed the Israeli government’s announcement of 22 new settlements in the territory, a move widely condemned as illegal under international law. Katz dismissed global support for Palestinian statehood with open contempt, stating, “they will recognise a Palestinian state on paper, but we will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground.”

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