Israel-France row flares over Macron’s move to recognise Palestinian state
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Netanyahu (left) slammed Mr Macron over France's decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September.
PHOTOS: NYTIMES, AFP
Follow topic:
- Mr Netanyahu criticised Mr Macron's plan to recognise Palestine, claiming it fuels anti-Semitism in France post-announcement.
- Mr Netanyahu urged Mr Macron to combat anti-Semitism with "resolve" by the Jewish New Year on Sept 23.
- Australia's plan to recognise Palestine and visa disputes led to diplomatic tension between Israel and Australia.
AI generated
JERUSALEM – A row between Israel and France over Paris’ plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September escalated to crisis level on Aug 19 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of fomenting “anti-Semitism”.
The Elysee hit back, calling the allegation “abject” and “erroneous”. “This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” the French presidency added.
Mr Netanyahu’s accusation was sent in a letter addressed to Mr Macron, seen by AFP, which said anti-Semitism “surged” in France following the French President’s announcement in July that he will recognise Palestinian statehood
Mr Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September – a move that at the time drew a swift rebuke from Israel.
In his letter, Mr Netanyahu said: “Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this anti-Semitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’ refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets.”
By announcing the move, France is set to join a growing list of nations to have recognised Palestinian statehood since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago. It is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.
France has long advocated a “two-state solution” for a Palestinian state to live in peace side by side with an Israeli one.
It has said its move to recognise a Palestinian state goes against Hamas, which rules Gaza and which has excluded a two-state solution.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry condemned Mr 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 anti-Semitism... has become cracked and exposed, and no one is fooled,” it said.
Anti-Jewish violence ‘intolerable’
In its response to Mr Netanyahu’s anti-Semitism allegation, the French presidency said France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”. Mr Macron’s office added that the allegation in Mr Netanyahu’s letter “will not go unanswered”. “Violence against the (French) Jewish community is intolerable,” it said.
“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 Oct 7, 2023 – to show the strongest action against perpetrators of anti-Semitic acts,” it noted.
Mr Macron’s minister for Europe, Mr Benjamin Haddad, said in reaction to Mr Netanyahu’s letter that France has “no lessons to learn in the fight against anti-Semitism”.
The issue “which is poisoning our European societies” must not be “exploited”, he added.
France is home to Europe’s biggest Jewish community. Reported anti-Semitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping to 1,570 in 2024, according to the Interior Ministry.
Australia is also set to recognise Palestinian statehood
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 Aug 18 cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman.
Mr Rothman, whose ultranationalist party is in Mr Netanyahu’s governing coalition, was scheduled to speak at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association.
Hours after his visa was cancelled, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he revoked the visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said revoking their visas was an “unjustified reaction”
