Chile 'can count' on France's efforts for durable peace in Mideast: French president

Chile "can count" on France's efforts for a durable peace in the Middle East, the French president said Wednesday.

"I know how the Palestinian issue is linked closely to the past of many Chilean families," Emmanuel Macron told a joint news conference with his Chilean counterpart Gabriel Boric in Santiago.

"You can count on France's engagement to deploy all the necessary efforts to achieve a durable peace," he added.

The French president also reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, in Gaza as in Lebanon, and the "relaunch of the talks" for a political solution to the conflict, "which is the two-state solution."

Boric, for his part, said "what Israel does in Gaza is unacceptable," that it "does not respect self-defense," and "violates human rights." He said he condemned the developments in the region.

Chile is said to have the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East. The South American country has also joined South Africa in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Israel has killed nearly 44,000 people in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, and also continues to strike Lebanon.

Macron visited Argentina over the weekend before heading to Brazil's Rio de Janeiro to attend the G20 summit, and then arrived in Chile.