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Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Wednesday that Israel is facing a "serious diplomatic crisis" threatening its security, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to respond effectively to international criticism after French President Emmanuel Macron condemned escalating occupier violence in the occupied West Bank.
Lapid made the remarks in a post on U.S. social media platform X following Macron's speech Tuesday at the opening of the 81st U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Macron said Israeli occupier actions in the occupied West Bank "deprive the Palestinian people of their legitimate right to exist."
He also said efforts for peace in the Gaza Strip had "failed to open any humanitarian corridor," describing the situation as something "that should shame everyone."
Lapid disputed Macron's statement that Hamas does not operate in the occupied West Bank and said journalists and commentators should challenge the French president with facts, while arguing that the Israeli government should respond differently.
"The prime minister's role is not to post on social media, but to change reality," Lapid said.
"We are in a serious diplomatic crisis that is already threatening Israel's security. What has been done so far has failed, and this is a fact that cannot be disputed," he added.
Lapid said Netanyahu should have directly contacted Macron and challenged his remarks, including by providing details about Netanel Shakron, a father of six whom Lapid said was killed four days earlier by a Hamas member.
He also said Netanyahu could have presented intelligence that, according to Lapid, is accepted by both U.S. and French intelligence services and shows Hamas has operated for years in the occupied West Bank and has been responsible for hundreds of attacks.
Lapid said he knows Macron "very well" and argued that a direct approach could have prompted the French president to publicly acknowledge that he was wrong on the facts.
He said such a response would have helped Israel more than social media posts aimed at Netanyahu's political base, made other leaders more cautious and represented a diplomatic success.
"What did we get? Just more election propaganda," Lapid said.
Israel is scheduled to hold general elections on Oct. 27, with opinion polls showing the opposition bloc ahead of Netanyahu's coalition, although neither side has enough seats to form a government.
Netanyahu has headed the current government since December 2022.
He is facing corruption charges, while the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
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