A diplomatic clash has erupted between Israel and France after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of fueling anti-Semitism by planning to recognize Palestinian statehood.
In a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, Netanyahu claimed that anti-Semitic incidents in France had increased since Macron announced he would back Palestinian recognition at the UN General Assembly next month.
Netanyahu Criticize Macron for Plans to Recognize Palestinian Statehood
The French presidency quickly dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks, calling them “abject” and “false.” In a statement, it said France would “always protect its Jewish citizens” and insisted that violence against Jews in the country was unacceptable. “This is a time for responsibility, not for manipulation,” the statement added.
Benjamin Haddad, France’s deputy minister for European affairs, also rejected Netanyahu’s claims. He stressed that France needed “no lessons in fighting anti-Semitism” and warned against exploiting an issue that was “poisoning our European societies.”
France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community and is among roughly 145 of the UN’s 193 members that now recognize or intend to recognize Palestine as a state.
France and Australia Rejects Israeli Criticism
In his letter, Netanyahu told 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.”
The dispute with France comes just as Netanyahu has also lashed out at Australia. He recently labelled Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
The Albanese government has announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood and, on Monday, cancelled the visa of Simcha Rothman, a member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Rothman had been due to attend events organized by the Australian Jewish Association.
In response, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar announced that visas for Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority had been revoked.
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