PARIS: France has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that President Emmanuel Macron’s move to recognise a Palestinian state is fuelling antisemitism as abject and erroneous.
The French presidency stated that France protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens. It confirmed that Netanyahu’s letter containing the allegation will not go unanswered. This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation, the presidency added.
Last month, Macron announced France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September.
France is the first G7 country to take this step. The move drew a swift rebuke from Israel. In a letter seen by AFP, Netanyahu claimed antisemitism had surged in France following the announcement. Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire, Netanyahu wrote. 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.
France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state. Australia joined the list earlier this month, announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
The French presidency emphasised that violence against the Jewish community is intolerable.
It stated the president has systematically required all his governments since 2017 to show the strongest action against perpetrators of antisemitic acts. This has been even more so since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023.
Macron’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, separately said France has no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism. Haddad added that the issue which is poisoning our European societies must not be exploited.
France is home to Europe’s biggest Jewish community. Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023. The number dipped to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry. – AFP
