French Foreign Minister Between Israel "Mercury Should Concede to Diplomacy"

French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barro visited Israel to call for a diplomatic solution to mark the first year of the Gaza war.

"Power must yield to diplomacy," Baro told a news conference after meeting with the families of French-flagged Israelis who were killed last year in an attack by Palestinian militant Hamas at a hotel in Jerusalem, Israel, on the 7th local time.

Armed force alone cannot guarantee Israel's security, he said. Now is the time for diplomacy," he said, adding that negotiations for a ceasefire between the warring parties should be held.

The minister said: "We have to be consistent. We cannot call for a ceasefire while arming the warring parties," he said.

It is in the same vein as French President Emmanuel Macron recently mentioned banning arms exports to Israel.

He also stressed that a ceasefire is not enough for sustainable peace between Israel and neighboring countries.

"Negotiations must begin for a two-state solution, the only solution that can ensure a just and lasting peace for Israel and Palestine," he said, calling for an end to the colonization of the West Bank, which threatens the viability of the solution.

Baro said he also met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on the same day.

"If we don't succeed, it will lead to a regional war where no one can be a winner and this will have very serious consequences for the world, Europe and France," Barro said, fearing that "there is not much time left to resolve the crisis."