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Macron Condemns Israeli Settler Violence in Call with Netanyahu

A truck drives past a settler's termporary shelter at a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of annexed east Jerusalem on December 7, 2023. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)
A truck drives past a settler's termporary shelter at a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of annexed east Jerusalem on December 7, 2023. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)
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Macron Condemns Israeli Settler Violence in Call with Netanyahu

A truck drives past a settler's termporary shelter at a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of annexed east Jerusalem on December 7, 2023. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)
A truck drives past a settler's termporary shelter at a construction site in Givat HaMatos, an Israeli settlement suburb of annexed east Jerusalem on December 7, 2023. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the Israel-occupied West Bank.
Macron's Elysee office said the two held a phone call on Friday, during which Macron had also reaffirmed the need to protect the civilian population of Gaza and had told Netanyahu of the importance of reaching a lasting ceasefire deal.
While Macron reiterated France's solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, he nevertheless told Netanyahu to "take the necessary measures" to end the attacks by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has condemned violence against Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, saying in a state of law, only the police and the military had the right to use force.

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Türkiye’s Pro-Kurdish party Says PKK May Announce Congress ‘Any Moment’

An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025. (AFP)
An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025. (AFP)
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Türkiye’s Pro-Kurdish party Says PKK May Announce Congress ‘Any Moment’

An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025. (AFP)
An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025. (AFP)

Türkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party said on Friday it was only a matter of time before the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announces it has convened its congress, a move seen as a key step in resolving the decades-long conflict.

The PKK declared a ceasefire in March following a historic call by its leader Abdullah Ocalan — who has been imprisoned since 1999 — for the group to lay down arms and to dissolve. This potentially paved the way for an end to 40 years of conflict between Kurdish fighters and the Turkish state, Reuters said.

"We are all awaiting this historic decision with great seriousness and importance," DEM Party spokesperson Aysegul Dogan told reporters after a meeting of the party’s executive board.

"It is only a matter of time before the PKK announces it has convened its congress. The announcement could come at any moment," Dogan said.

Dogan said the PKK had previously responded to Ocalan's call with a statement committing to fulfil its requirements, including a ceasefire declaration issued shortly after the appeal.

"This historic opportunity must be made permanent. Weapons must give way to dialogue," she said, adding that the DEM party hoped for mutual steps toward lasting peace, adding that political and legal groundwork would be essential.

Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence on an island prison since 1999, issued a statement through his lawyers on Feb. 27 calling for a revival of peace efforts.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has seen intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.