If U.S. President Donald Trump truly wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize, then he must end the war in the Gaza Strip, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday night.
Speaking to French broadcaster BFM TV from New York, Macron stated that only Trump has the power to pressure Israel to stop the war.
“If there is someone who can do something about this, it is the President of the United States,” Macron said.
“And the reason he can do more than us is because we don’t supply the weapons that make the war in Gaza possible. We don’t provide the equipment that enables the war in Gaza. The United States does,” he added.
Trump delivered a lengthy speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he rejected Western allies’ efforts to support the creation of a Palestinian state, calling it a reward for Hamas militants.
Hamas is a Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.
“We must stop the war in Gaza immediately. We must hold peace talks without delay,” Trump said.
Commenting on Trump’s speech, Macron noted:
“I see an American president engaged, who repeated this morning from the podium: ‘I want peace. I have resolved seven conflicts,’ a president who wants the Nobel Peace Prize. This prize is only possible if he stops this conflict.”
Countries such as Cambodia, Israel, and Pakistan have nominated Trump for the annual award due to peace agreements or ceasefires he has mediated.
Trump has insisted that he deserves the prize, which has been awarded to four of his predecessors in the White House.
“President Trump has done more for peace than everyone present at the United Nations combined,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
“Only this president has been able to achieve so much for global stability, because he has effectively made America Strong Again.”
