The mayor of Nice was a guest on Dimanche en Politique on France 3, this December 10th, and he reaffirmed his stance against resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“I believe that now is not the time to give breathing space to Hamas terrorists”, responded Christian Estrosi to Francis Letellier on the set of Dimanche en Politique. The mayor of Nice, vice president of the Horizons party, made it known that he aligns more with the United States, namely against a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Last Friday, during a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the United States, Israel’s unwavering allies, used their veto to block this resolution project, a hope for peace in the region. This is a pattern that repeats itself; since 1970, there have been 35 American vetoes initiated on resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict out of a total of 39.
The mayor of Nice states he aligns with the United States’ position, thereby opposing the French diplomatic line. France voted in favor of this resolution, accompanied by twelve other countries. The United Kingdom abstained.
Against the “simple pure” end of the war
“I am opposed to stopping purely and simply and not going to the end of the complete destruction of Hamas”, he declared.
For him, resolving the conflict by stopping the bombings entirely does not mean peace but rather “not destroying the tunnels that could be used again tomorrow for what happened on October 7 to happen again” and “giving time to Hamas, which is a terrorist movement, to rearm, reorganize, and restructure to strike in Israel but also strike here”.
Christian Estrosi nonetheless differentiates with temporary ceasefires towards which he does not show hostility as they notably allow for the release of hostages. In this regard, he supports Emmanuel Macron’s negotiations.
Particularly mobilized for this cause, Christian Estrosi continually calls for the release of all hostages. Nice is actively participating in the #BringThemAllHome campaign by displaying the faces of Hamas’ child hostages on the city’s illuminated billboards and by hosting the bus featuring the Israeli hostages.
A very firm position in Nice
Since last October, the Nice official has continuously demonstrated his unwavering support for the Hebrew state and its people. On October 9th, during a gathering in front of the City Hall, he stood out by raising the Israeli flag on the city hall’s facade. He declared it would fly “as long as the war is not over”.
On December 10th, during the Dimanche en Politique television program, Christian Estrosi was questioned about displaying the Israeli flag. The mayor of Nice remained firm in his position: “When a nation is unjustly attacked by another nation, I do it, and when a nation like Israel is unjustly attacked by a terrorist group, shouldn’t I do it then?”
This very firm stance in Nice is also held by the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, who consistently, week after week, prohibits gatherings for peace calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and its surroundings” before they are eventually authorized by the administrative court.
