Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met French President Emmanuel Macron, business leaders and members of France’s Jewish community during a trip to Paris that has angered Palestinian supporters amid a new spasm of violence in the Middle East.
The visit began with a dinner meeting at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, where the talking points included Mr Macron's assurance of France’s “solidarity with Israel in the face of terrorism”, as well as “the need for everyone to avoid measures likely to feed the spiral of violence”, his office said.
Before departing for France, Mr Netanyahu said Iran would be “the main topic of our talk”.
Mr Macron denounced the “headlong rush” of Iran's nuclear programme after the meeting.
He criticised Tehran's lack of transparency over its nuclear activities and said its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine exposed it to further sanctions and growing isolation.
Iran's continued development of its atomic project will “inevitably have consequences”, he said.
Mr Macron also offered to help revive long-stalled dialogue between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Pro-Palestinian activists plan to hold a protest in Paris on Saturday to denounce Mr Macron’s decision to host Mr Netanyahu at such a volatile time in the conflict.
The demonstrators said they would also demonstrate against prison conditions for Palestinians held in Israel, including solitary confinement and limits on family visits.
Mr Netanyahu’s trip comes during one of the deadliest periods in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years, with the fighting spilling over into the Gaza Strip.
The two leaders spoke on Sunday after the fatal Palestinian shooting near a Jerusalem synagogue.
Mr Netanyahu is the head of Israel’s most right-wing government, which is buoyed by ultranationalist parties that have promised to take a hard line against Palestinians and to ramp up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
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During the meeting with Mr Macron, Mr Netanyahu said he would meet French business leaders interested in investing in Israel and representatives of the Jewish community before leaving on Saturday night.
Earlier this week, the French government unveiled a plan aimed at better combating racism and anti-Semitism, including measures to deal with the proliferation of hate speech online and campaigns to raise awareness about the Holocaust.
Agencies contributed to this report.
Why seagrass matters
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
BMW M5 specs
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if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
