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Macron Concerned about Israel's Decision to Build 4,000 New West Bank Settlements

Israeli police attack mourners carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh (Reuters)
Israeli police attack mourners carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh (Reuters)
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Macron Concerned about Israel's Decision to Build 4,000 New West Bank Settlements

Israeli police attack mourners carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh (Reuters)
Israeli police attack mourners carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh (Reuters)

The Elysee Palace has said that French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his concern about Israel's recent decision to add 4,000 new illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects.

Macron held on Tuesday a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during which they discussed security issues and bilateral ties.

The Elysee Palace said Macron also urged Israel to quickly complete investigations into the killing of a Palestinian journalist last week, who was murdered during an Israeli attack in the West Bank.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead on May 11 wearing a helmet and a press vest.

Her death, and Israeli police attacks on mourners who attempted to walk with her coffin at her funeral two days later in occupied East Jerusalem, have sparked Palestinian and international outrage.

"The president said that he was moved by the death of Shireen Abu Akleh and reiterated France's position that a rapid conclusion of the investigation was needed," said the French president's office, according to Reuters.

Israel and the Palestinians are conducting separate probes of her death, and both remain at loggerheads over the fatal shooting.

Palestinians accuse Israel of assassinating her and demand an international response.

A statement from Bennett's office following the call made no mention of Abu Akleh or the settlements.

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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
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Kurdistan Salary Crisis Clouds Eid Celebrations in Baghdad

Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)
Leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim delivers his Eid speech to supporters in Baghdad (Hikma Media)

The festivity of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad was overshadowed by growing political tensions, particularly over the unresolved salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

While Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani opted for a neutral gesture - issuing a general holiday greeting and performing Eid prayers without comment - other political leaders used the occasion to speak pointedly about the nation’s deepening challenges.

Al-Sudani attended Eid prayers at Al-Rasoul Mosque in the capital, choosing to remain silent on political matters. However, influential Shiite cleric and head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali both delivered speeches that touched on the country’s fraught political and economic landscape.

Al-Hakim warned against the use of political money in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, 2025.

Calling the vote “historic,” he emphasized the need for electoral integrity and urged political blocs to adopt a national code of conduct barring the use of illicit funds. “There is talk of a market where candidates and voters are being bought. This is corruption and betrayal of the people,” he said.

He also addressed Iraq’s perennial electricity crisis, calling for a “strategic state of emergency” to resolve the issue once and for all. “Despite changing governments and large budgets, the same problems repeat themselves,” he noted.

Al-Hakim stressed the need for governments to define clear priorities, including agriculture, water, and clean energy, and said Iraqis “deserve a dignified life that begins with stable electricity and ends with technological advancement.”

Khazali, meanwhile, focused his remarks on the Kurdistan Region salary crisis, criticizing accusations from Kurdish media that he was responsible for the federal government’s suspension of public sector salaries in the region. “It’s simply not true,” he said. “Unfortunately, salaries remain unpaid to this day.”

He stressed that despite Iraq’s wealth, the country continues to suffer from poverty and unemployment, and argued that the roots of these issues lie in the legacy of the former Ba’ath regime.

Khazali also pointed out that Kurdistan experiences higher poverty rates than the rest of Iraq, and that many Iraqi refugees abroad are from the region.

Turning to the electricity crisis, he warned this summer could be the most difficult in years, as outages are expected to worsen. “All past governments focused on increasing output but ignored the need to instill a culture of energy conservation,” he said, warning that some groups may seek to exploit the crisis to sow internal unrest.