Dhaka, April 15 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, amid growing international support for a two-state solution.

According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, he told Macron that he "strongly opposes" Palestinian statehood, describing it as "a major reward for terrorism." He warned that establishing such a state near Israeli cities would turn it into "a stronghold of Iranian terrorism" and claimed that "an overwhelming majority of the Israeli public strongly opposes it."

In response, Macron posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had reiterated France's firm support for Israel's security. He ...