Diplomatic tensions are mounting between France and Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Paris of fuelling antisemitism by preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood, drawing a sharp rebuke from the President Emmanuel Macron’s office on Tuesday.
Netanyahu earlier warned French President Emmanuel Macron in a letter leaked to the press that Paris’ stance risked encouraging attacks against Jews that he said were surging in France.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire,” the Israeli Prime Minister wrote, adding it was rewarding Hamas terror.
The French presidency dismissed the claim as “erroneous, abject and unacceptable,” in a statement on Tuesday, stressing that violence against Jewish communities “will not go unanswered” but insisting it cannot be linked to France’s diplomatic position.
“The period requires seriousness and responsibility, not amalgams and manipulations,” they added. Macron will reply formally to Netanyahu in writing, the spokesperson added.
France has signalled it could join other powers in supporting recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, a move Israel opposes.
The debate is expected to be one of the most contentious diplomatic battles since the October 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, which have strained Western unity on Middle East policy.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly next month, Netanyahu has also written to Australia’s prime minister on Monday after Canberra announced last week that it would join the UK, France and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state.
(vib)
