Tel Aviv [Israel], July 25 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior Israeli leaders on Thursday strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement to recognize a Palestinian state, warning that the move rewards terrorism and threatens Israel's security, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Netanyahu issued a sharp statement, saying, 'We strongly condemn President Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel -- not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,' The Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on X, stating, 'I thank President Macron for providing an additional -- and most compelling -- reason to finally implement Israeli sovereignty over the historic regions of Judea and Samaria, and to put an end once and for all to the dangerous illusion of a terrorist Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel. This will be our legitimate Zionist response to the unilateral pressures and coercive maneuvers of Macron and his allies.'

Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed similar criticism, writing, 'Macron's announcement of his intentions to recognize a Palestinian state is a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism, granting a reward and encouragement to the murderers and rapists of Hamas, who carried out the most horrific massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Instead of standing with Israel in this time of trial, the French president is acting to weaken it. We will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence, and undermine our historical right to the Land of Israel. We are all united to prevent this grave danger,' according to The Jerusalem Post.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana also lashed out, saying, 'Macron just awarded Hamas a prize for committing the October 7 massacre. This shameful act is nothing less than a betrayal by the so-called 'leaders' of the free world. It sends a chilling message: terrorism pays off. Macron will be remembered as a collaborator with evil -- on the wrong side of history. I'm ashamed to have met this man. I love France. It deserves more courageous leadership.'

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar criticised the decision, saying, 'The French President's pretension to create by mere words an illusionary arrangement in our land is ridiculous and not serious. His statement this evening shows that all the conditions that he himself set a few weeks ago - have evaporated. All that remains is the illusionary state he presumes to establish. A Palestinian state will be a Hamas state, just as the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip twenty years ago led to Hamas taking control of it. President Macron cannot provide security for Israel. Let's hope he succeeds in doing so on the streets of Paris. Israel's attempt to base its security on Palestinian promises to fight terror completely failed in the Oslo process. Israel will no longer gamble on its security and its future.'

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar added, 'President Macron sold France to the radical Islam,' according to The Jerusalem Post. (ANI)