Israel-France Row Flares Over Macron's Move to Recognize Palestinian State
The Elysee hit back, calling Netanyahu's allegation "abject" and "erroneous".
"This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation," the French presidency added.
Netanyahu's accusation was sent in a letter addressed to Macron, seen by AFP, which said that antisemitism had "surged" in France following the French president's announcement last month that he will recognize Palestinian statehood.
Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September -- a move that at the time drew a swift rebuke from Israel.
In his letter, Netanyahu said to Macron: "Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas's refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets."
By announcing the move to recognize statehood for Palestinians, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.
France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.
France has long advocated for the two-state solution.
It has said its move to recognize a Palestinian state goes against Hamas, which rules Gaza and has excluded a two-state solution.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry condemned Netanyahu's remarks, calling them "unjustified and hostile to peace".
"The old record of confusing criticism of the Israeli occupation and its crimes or support for the Palestinian people's rights to freedom and independence with antisemitism... has become cracked and exposed, and no one is fooled," the ministry said.
- Anti-Jewish violence 'intolerable' -
In its response to Netanyahu's antisemitism allegation, the French presidency said that France "protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens".
"Violence against the (French) Jewish community is intolerable," it added.
"That is why, beyond criminal convictions, the president has systematically required all his governments since 2017 -- and even more so since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 -- to show the strongest action against perpetrators of antisemitic acts," it said.
Macron's office added that the allegation in Netanyahu's letter "will not go unanswered".
Macron's minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, separately said that France has "no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism".
The issue "which is poisoning our European societies" must not be "exploited", Haddad added.
France is home to Europe's biggest Jewish community.
Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry.
Netanyahu on Tuesday also criticized Australia, which has similarly said it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood next month.
The Israeli leader, on his office's official X account, called his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, a "weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews".
The personal attack came amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries after the Australian government on Monday cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman.
Hours later, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had revoked the visas of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel to Place $500 Million, US-funded Order for Boeing Aerial Refueling Tankers
Israel plans to buy two Boeing-made KC-46 military aerial refueling tankers in a $500 million deal to be financed with US military aid, the Israeli defense ministry said on Wednesday. It said it would sign the contract with the US government once an Israeli ministerial committee for defense procurement grants its approval. The US government oversees foreign military sales and transfers to other nations. The military already operates four Boeing-made KC-46 aerial tankers, the defense ministry said in a statement. Ministry Director General Amir Baram said in the statement that the aircraft would strengthen the military's long-range strategic capabilities, enabling it to operate farther afield with greater force and with increased scope. Israel used such aerial refueling tankers during its 12-day air war against Iran in June. The statement said the contract would include equipping the planes with Israeli systems, which it did not specify. Washington provides its close ally Israel with billions of dollars each year to purchase American weapons and equipment. "The contract's scope is estimated at approximately half a billion USD (US dollars) and is funded through US aid," the ministry statement said. Recently, some US Republicans and Democrats have questioned whether the government should continue giving Israel military aid, citing its war in Gaza and concerns over whether taxpayer dollars might be better spent on domestic priorities.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Administration Slaps New Sanctions on Four ICC Officials over Targeting of Israeli Officials
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the US Treasury and State Department. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. The move comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges, saying they have engaged in ICC's "illegitimate and baseless actions" targeting the US and close ally Israel. ICC, which had slammed the move in June, describing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, deplored the latest sanctions. "These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all regions," the ICC said in a statement. "They constitute also an affront against the Court's States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world," the court added. "The ICC will continue fulfilling mandates in strict accordance with its legal framework, without regard to any pressure or threat." The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members. It has high-profile war crimes investigations under way into the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze any US assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the US financial system.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work' to do to win over Gen Z
LONDON: Israel has 'work' to do in winning over young people in the West as polls show collapsing support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a UK-based podcast in an interview aired Wednesday. Protests against Israel's actions in Gaza have become increasingly common in capitals across the West, attracting large numbers of young people. A recent Gallup poll also showed only six percent of 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States had a favorable opinion of Netanyahu and just nine percent approved of Israel's military action in Gaza. On the 'Triggernometry' podcast, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel could lose the backing of Western governments once 'Gen Z' — those born between around 1997 and 2012 — assumes power. 'If you're telling me that there's work to be done on Gen Z and across the West, yes,' he responded. But he said opposition to Israel among Gen Z stemmed from a wider campaign against the West and repeated his unproven claim of an orchestrated plot against Israel and the West, without saying who was behind it. Israel's defense minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City and authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said, in figures the United Nations deem reliable. Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has offered Israel ironclad support. Netanyahu told the podcast, which bills itself as promoting free speech with 'open, fact-based discussion of important and controversial issues,' that Trump 'has proven an exceptional, exceptional friend of Israel, an exceptional leader.' 'I think we've been very fortunate to have a leader in the United States who doesn't act like the European leaders, who doesn't succumb to this stuff,' he added, referring to countries including France and the UK that have vowed to recognize a Palestinian state.
