Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called "a
lesson in hypocritical and deceptive morality
" statements by French foreign
minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian on a possible "
risk of apartheid
" in Israel.
Read also: Jean-Yves Le Drian warns Israel against a "risk of apartheid" towards its Arab populations
Returning to recent violence between Israelis and Palestinians, and tensions in mixed Israeli towns, Le Drian warned on Sunday of a "
risk of apartheid
" if no Palestinian state emerges alongside Israel. .
"
If by chance we had another solution than the two-state solution, then we would have the ingredients of an apartheid that would last a long time,
" Mr. Le Drian told the Grand Jury RTL / Le Figaro / LCI.
“
The risk of apartheid is strong if we continue to adopt a logic of one state or the status quo.
Even the status quo produces this,
”added the head of French diplomacy.
"
Hypocritical moral lesson
"
But on Wednesday, in a speech excerpts from which were sent to his press services, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu blasted Minister Le Drian, saying he was expressing “
his strong protest
” to the French government.
“
The minister said that Israel could become an apartheid state - a shameless, false and baseless claim,
” Netanyahu said in Hebrew.
"
We will not accept any hypocritical and deceptive moral lesson on this issue,
" Netanyahu added.
Read also: Israel: Antony Blinken comes to consolidate the ceasefire
In recent weeks, cohabitation between Jews and Arabs has been shattered in several mixed Israeli towns, as Israel clashes with the Islamist movement Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The Israeli army and Hamas, in power in Gaza, have observed a ceasefire since Friday after several days of Israeli raids and rocket fire from the enclave into Israeli territory. These clashes, which began on May 10, left just over 250 Palestinians dead, including 66 children and many fighters according to authorities in Gaza, and 12 dead in Israel including a child, a teenage girl and a soldier.