Israeli PMO issues sharp rebuke to Macron over West Bank Hamas claim

The Prime Minister's Office issued a sharply worded statement against French President Emmanuel Macron, calling his claim that Hamas has never operated in the West Bank "ridiculous absurdity." The statement cited the recent killing of Netanel Shukron, a French citizen and father of six, who was murdered by a Hamas terrorist in Judea and Samaria on Sunday, the eve of Yom Kippur. "With his dying breath, he told his son to run," the PMO stated. The statement added that "Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day" and have "murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria," concluding that "ignorance is no excuse for allowing their blood to be shed."