Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Thursday for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
The two men will discuss diplomatic and security issues, in particular the international effort to stop Iran’s nuclear program and ways to strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords.
The Trump administration-brokered accords normalized relations between the Jewish state and several Arab countries.
Macron earlier this week phoned Netanyahu to extend his condolences over the murder of seven people by a Palestinian terrorist on Shabbat. The two leaders also “sharply” condemned Tehran’s involvement in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
During his trip, Netanyahu will also meet with Jewish community leaders and French businesspeople.
Netanyahu and Macron have a longstanding relationship, having last met in January 2020 in Jerusalem.
Earlier this week, Netanyahu met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who recently said a military option remained on the table to prevent a nuclear Iran.
Asked whether U.S. military exercises with Israel, and with others in the region, are meant to deter Iran, Blinken replied, “All of our military efforts are designed with the idea of deterrence in mind—that is, to try to make sure that a would-be aggressor thinks twice, thinks three times, and then doesn’t do it.”
When deterrence comes up short, it is important to demonstrate that a country can defend itself effectively, the secretary added.
