French President Visits Eretz Yisroel, Proposes International Coalition Against Hamas

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Tuesday that an international coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria widens its scope to include the fight against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Macron gave no details on how the U.S.-led coalition of dozens of countries, of which Eretz Yisroel is not a member, could be involved. His advisers said, however, that the coalition’s participation would not necessarily imply boots on the ground, but could include intelligence-sharing.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Macron stressed that France and Israel shared terrorism as their “common enemy”.

“France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh in which we are taking part for operations in Iraq and Syria to also fight against Hamas,” he told reporters. “[It] must be without mercy but not without rules”.

The French leader stressed there must be a “decisive relaunch” of the Palestinian peace process following the Hamas atrocities and Israel’s declaration of war against the terror group.