Netanyahu tells Emmanuel Macron: 'Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel'

French President has voiced disapproval of US decision to recognise city as Israeli, claiming it 'does not comply with international law'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron, “Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel”, as they met in Paris amid heightened tensions in the West Bank.

Mr Macron and Mr Netanyahu conceded that they held opposing views on US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during a joint press conference on Sunday.

The French President reaffirmed his disapproval of Mr Trump’s controversial move, saying the US had “unilaterally recognised something that is not complying with the international law”.

However, Mr Netanyahu, who has previously celebrated Mr Trump’s declaration, told Mr Macron the city had been the “capital of Israel for 3,000 years”.

Mr Macron appealed for calm in the Middle East and asked the Israeli premier to “give peace a chance” by offering a gesture to Palestinians, such as a settlement freeze on the West Bank.

Mr Netanyahu said: “Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel – it has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and the capital of the Jewish state for 70 years.

“We respect your history and choices and we know that France will respect ours.

“I think this is essential for peace, what peace requires is to be built on a foundation of truth, on the facts of the past and the present.

“This is the only way you can be realistic and build a successful future.”

Mr Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has stoked tensions across the Middle East, leading to widespread protests and unrest, as well as condemnation from key US allies in Europe and the Arab world.

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators outside the US embassy in Beirut on Sunday, while the Arab League has called on Mr Trump to reverse his decision.

At least two people died and 200 were injured during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors on the Israel-Gaza border on Friday.

And in Jerusalem on Sunday, an Israeli security guard was targeted in a stabbing attack at the city’s central bus station.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the guard was seriously wounded and his attacker arrested. The Magen David Adom medical service said a 30-year-old male suffered a stab wound to his upper body.

Ahead of Mr Netanyahu and Mr Macron’s joint news conference, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – often a critic of Israel – called it an “invader state”, a “terror state”. “We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children,” he said at a political congress.

Asked about the comments in Paris, Mr Netanyahu responded: “I’m not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villages in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, helps Iran go around international sanctions and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, to kill innocent people.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press