Date: September 22, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
UNITED NATIONS — French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of having secured peace in Gaza, saying Tuesday that the situation on the ground did not match the portrayal of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Macron said no humanitarian corridor had been reopened in Gaza despite what he described as claims of peace. He said the international community could not simply stand by while the humanitarian situation remained unresolved.
Macron was delivering his final address to the United Nations before leaving office next year. His speech came only hours after Trump had addressed the same assembly and presented his Gaza peace plan as a major diplomatic achievement.
“A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognized Palestine,” Macron said, arguing that recognition could not be dismissed as merely symbolic while conditions on the ground remained unchanged.
He questioned what credibility the international community would have if it continued to remain inactive over Gaza, and described the presentation of peace without restored humanitarian access as a spectacle that should shame the world.
Trump had told the General Assembly earlier that the war in Gaza had ended and said his administration's efforts had saved thousands of lives. The White House did not immediately respond to Macron's criticism, according to Reuters.
Macron also turned his attention to the occupied West Bank, where he said violations against Palestinians were occurring daily. He questioned the justification for those actions, noting that Hamas had not operated in the West Bank.
He argued that developments there were making it increasingly difficult to establish a political project based on recognition of the Palestinian people's right to exist. At the same time, Macron said France remained committed to Israel's security and existence.
Macron warned that those who believe Israel's security can be achieved by violating the sovereignty of neighboring countries were making a serious mistake. In his view, such actions weaken Israel's security both in the present and in the future.
The French president's remarks came as France's relationship with Israel has become increasingly strained over the Gaza war and the situation in the West Bank. France has also taken measures against Israeli settler violence and supported recognition of a Palestinian state.
Macron's speech extended beyond the Middle East. He urged countries to support Ukraine's defenses ahead of winter, including additional systems capable of intercepting missiles and drones. He also backed proposals for a temporary halt to attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure and called for a moratorium on attacks affecting Black Sea shipping and grain exports.
He also identified reopening the Strait of Hormuz as an important issue for global energy security amid the wider conflict in the Middle East.
On artificial intelligence, Macron announced a French initiative to develop an open-source frontier AI model, reflecting France's broader effort to reduce dependence on major global technology powers. He also called for renewed international cooperation on climate change, biodiversity and efforts toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
Macron, who first addressed the UN General Assembly in 2017, is scheduled to leave office next May. His farewell speech reflected his longstanding support for multilateral institutions and the United Nations.
He warned that the world risked returning to what he described as a “law of the jungle,” arguing that countries faced a choice between an international system governed by power and coercion and one based on international rules.
Macron ended his final UN address with a message of support for the organization: “Long live the United Nations!”