In the Jordanian desert, the President of the Republic wants to give priority to the soldiers who fight for France. But he’s already thinking about what’s next.
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After the vote on the immigration law, after the Gérard Depardieu controversy, he could hope for a breather. Emmanuel Macron, traveling to Jordan, met King Abdullah II on Thursday, December 21, before participating in the traditional Christmas Eve with French troops abroad.
This moment, Emmanuel Macron heard the reserve for those French people who have made the choice, he said, to give their lives, up to the ultimate sacrifice to serve the Nation. Pâté en croute, smoked salmon, Landes poultry and chocolate hazelnut log were on the menu. At each table, the Head of State lets out the same big smile. But Emmanuel Macron keeps the political crisis in the back of his mind.
A new course in 2024
Deep down, he remains convinced that the immigration law was necessary. Arresting him would even have been a political mistake, he asserts, with his expression of the moment: “the country did not become cryptofascist overnight”. In his eyes, the measure on social benefits is not contrary to the values of the Republic, far from the mountain that some describe, as he defended it in the program “C à vous” on Wednesday evening.
On the other hand, the deposit required from foreign students is a bad idea for Emmanuel Macron, convinced that the Constitutional Council will clean up the excesses. The RN’s political coup, in private, he calls it the shot of the sombrero.
Several ministers wanted to resign, including the Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau. But he hates being threatened and only one went through with it, the former Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau. For others, Emmanuel Macron is not far from talking about cowardice. In 2024, he wants a government capable of getting serious about work; it will be the year of a new milestone, the president promises. Without ever uttering, again, the word reshuffle.
For the first time, Emmanuel Macron wants to crack down on Israeli settlers
This is the third visit to the Middle East by the head of state since October 7. Before celebrating New Year’s Eve at the planned air base in the Levant, Emmanuel Macron made a stopover in Aqaba, further south in Jordan, hand in hand with King Abdullah II as he walked up the red carpet. Jordan is the strategic partner in the region, a humanitarian platform. He took the opportunity to discuss the drama playing out in Gaza.
“Every day stolen from the truce is taken from the future of the region.”
Emmanuel Macronat franceinfo
For the first time, he calls for crackdown on settlers in the West Bank to prevent the fire from spreading, and denounces the intolerable threat of attacks on ships in the Red Sea carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
His trip is therefore an opportunity for a broad review of international issues, which have occupied him a lot in recent months. It’s his comfort zone, the one where he floats, say those close to him. Other issues on the table: the departure of French troops from the Sahel at the moment, and of course the war in Ukraine. “We must not let Russia win”, says Emmanuel Macron again. Behind these words, his project is more assertive: Emmanuel Macron wants to return to Ukraine, and quickly. Maybe even from the beginning of 2024, in February.