France hits back after Netanyahu accuses Macron of antisemitism
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Macron decries ‘abject’ Netanyahu claim of antisemitic surge in France
Emmanuel Macron hits out at Benjamin Netanyahu for ‘erroneous’ remarks. Netanyahu claimed that antisemitism had ‘surged’ in France since September. France will become the first major western power to recognise a Palestinian state. Relations between the two leaders have been strained since July. At least 145 out of 193 UN members now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian state, according to a tally by the news agency Agence France-Presse. France’s interior ministry reported 504 antisemitic acts between January and May this year, suggesting a 24% decrease from the previous year. The numbers, however, remain high, double the number of reported incidents from the same time period in 2013. Members of France’s Jewish community have repeatedly warned thatantisemitism has increased since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Israel denies it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and says the war is one of self-defence and self-defense in Gaza.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the office of the French president pushed back against Netanyahu’s claim. “The analysis suggesting that France’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine in September is behind the rise in antisemitic violence in France is erroneous, abject, and will not go unanswered,” it said. “The current period calls for seriousness and responsibility, not generalisation and manipulation.”
Relations between the two leaders have been strained since July, when Macron announced that France would become the first major western power to recognise a Palestinian state at next month’s UN general assembly, in the hope of bringing peace to the region.
At the time, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court over allegations of war crimes in Gaza, criticised the decision, saying that France “rewards terror”. He added: “A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it.”
The move means France will join the group of UN members – at least 145 out of 193 – that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to a tally by the news agency Agence France-Presse.
In a letter sent to Macron earlier this week, Netanyahu accused the French president of not doing enough to confront the alarming rise of antisemitism in France. “Your call for a Palestinian state pour fuels on this antisemitism fire,” Netanyahu wrote.
A similar letter, with almost identical wording, was reportedly also sent to Australia’s prime minister earlier this week.
Responding to the allegations, Macron’s office said that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens” and that, since 2017, the president had systematically required the government to “take the strongest possible action against the perpetrators of antisemitic acts”.
According to the latest figures from France’s interior ministry, 504 antisemitic acts were reported across the country between January and May this year, suggesting a 24% decrease from the previous year.
The numbers, however, remain high, double the number of reported incidents from the same time period in 2013. Members of France’s Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, have repeatedly warned that antisemitic acts have increased since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Most recently, the felling of an olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 prompted outrage, with Macron vowing to punish an act of “antisemitic hatred”.
Tensions between Israel and its traditional allies have been mounting in recent weeks after Macron’s promise to recognise a Palestinian state – a move that elicited similar signals from Britain, Canada and Australia.
This week, after sending Australia’s prime minister a letter accusing him of fuelling antisemitism with his decision to recognise a Palestinian state, Netanyahu doubled down on his criticism of Anthony Albanese on Tuesday, saying he was a “weak politician who had betrayed Israel”.
Albanese brushed off the claims. “I don’t take these things personally,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I treat leaders of other countries with respect. I engage with them in a diplomatic way.”
Hours after his office had sparred with Netanyahu, Macron highlighted plans to co-chair a conference on a two-state solution with Saudi Arabia in New York in September.
Macron made the announcement as he criticised Israel’s plans for a “military offensive in Gaza”, writing on social media that it “can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war”.
Global pressure has been mounting on Israel to address the situation in Gaza, where at least 62,000 people have been killed and a complete blockade on aid entering the Palestinian territory has led to widespread conditions of starvation.
In July, two of Israel’s most respected human rights organisations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, said Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and said the country’s western allies had a legal and moral duty to stop it. The accusation echoes earlier positions taken by global human rights organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International.
Israel denies is it carrying out a genocide, and says the war in Gaza is one of self-defence in response to the cross-border attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Macron hits back at ‘abject’, ‘erroneous’ anti-Semitism accusations by Netanyahu
Israeli PM accuses French President of fueling anti-Semitic fire. French president’s office calls Netanyahu’s allegations “abject” and “erroneous” France to recognise Palestine at United Nations General Assembly next month.
Netanyahu’s accusation against the French leader was contained in a letter, seen by the AFP news agency on Tuesday, which claimed that anti-Semitism had “surged” in France since President Macron’s recent announcement that he will recognise Palestine as a state at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly next month.
The French president’s office hit back swiftly at Netanyahu on Tuesday, calling his allegations “abject” and “erroneous”, and promising that they “will not go unanswered”.
“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” the French presidency said, adding that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”.
Israeli PM Netanyahu slams France and Australia for ‘anti-Semitism’
Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of fomenting ‘anti-Semitism’ The Élysée hit back on August 19, calling Netanyahu’s allegation ‘abject’ and ‘erroneous’ France has long advocated for the so-called ‘two-state solution’ for a Palestinian State to live in peace side-by-side with an Israeli one. France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian State, according to an AFP tally. It has said its move to recognise a Palestinian. State goes against Hamas which rules Gaza and which has excluded a two-state. solution. The French presidency said it will ‘protect’ its Jewish citizens and “will always protect its Jewish. citizens’ from anti-Semitic acts. It added that it will not ‘go unanswered’ in its response to the allegation in the letter. The Israeli PM said history would remember Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “for what he is: A weak politician”.
The Élysée hit back on August 19, 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 anti-Semitism had “surged” in France following the French President’s announcement in July that he would recognise Palestinian statehood.
Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian State during a UN meeting in September — a move that drew a swift rebuke from Israel.
In his letter, Netanyahu said to Macron: “Your call for a Palestinian State pours fuel on this antis-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.”
He recalled the vandalism of the Paris offices of Israeli airline El Al with graffiti branding it a “genocidal airline,” as well as the June arson attack on a Jewish elementary school in Lyon, where swastikas and pro-Palestinian slogans were scrawled on the building, according to US TV channel 124News.
Rabbis, Netanyahu added, were being physically assaulted in the streets of Paris. “These are not isolated incidents — it’s an epidemic,” he said.
By announcing its move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to have recognised statehood for the Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.
Also on August 19, Netanyahu accused his Australian counterpart of having “betrayed Israel” and “abandoned” Australia’s Jewish community, after days of increasingly strained relations between the two countries.
The Israeli PM said history would remember Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “for what he is: A weak politician”, the BBC reported.
The attack came amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries after the Australian Government on August 18 cancelled the visa of right-wing Israeli politician Simcha Rothman.
Rothman, whose ultranationalist party is in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, had been 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 had revoked the visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority.
In a statement, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said revoking their visas was an “unjustified reaction” by Israel and that Netanayahu’s government was “isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution”.
There was no immediate response from Albanese at the time of writing.
Israel’s opposition leader criticised Netanyahu’s remarks, branding them a “gift” to the Australian leader.
Yair Lapid wrote on X: “The thing that most strengthens a leader in the democratic world today is a confrontation with Netanyahu, the most politically toxic leader in the Western world.
“It is unclear why Bibi [Netanyahu] is rushing to give the Prime Minister of Australia this gift.”
France 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 for the so-called “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 its response to Netanyahu’s anti-Semitism allegation, the French presidency said France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”.
Macron’s office added that the allegation in Netanyahu’s letter “will not go unanswered”.
“Violence against the [French] Jewish community is intolerable,” the French presidency 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 October 7, 2023 — to show the strongest action against perpetrators of anti-Semitic acts,” it said.
Macron’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, separately said in reaction to Netanyahu’s letter that France had “no lessons to learn in the fight against anti-Semitism”.
The issue, “which is poisoning our European societies”, must not be “exploited”, Haddad 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 last year, according to the interior ministry.
France rejects Netanyahu’s antisemitism claim over recognition of Palestine
France has hit back with unusual force after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of stoking antisemitism. Netanyahu claimed that recognition of Palestinian statehood would “pour fuel on this antisemitic fire” and reward Hamas. The row – already simmering since Macron’s announcement in July – burst into open confrontation on Tuesday. Netanyahu on Tuesday also turned his ire on Australia, branding Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews’ The latest diplomatic spat stems from Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September. Paris says the step is meant to push back against Hamas and revive the prospects of peace. Officials insist the move is in line with decades of French diplomacy, not a departure from it.
France has hit back with unusual force after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of stoking antisemitism, as Paris prepares to recognise a Palestinian state next month.
The row – already simmering since Macron’s announcement in July – burst into open confrontation on Tuesday when Netanyahu wrote to the French leader warning that antisemitism had “surged” in France since his decision.
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He claimed that recognition of Palestinian statehood would “pour fuel on this antisemitic fire” and reward Hamas, while endangering France’s own Jewish community.
France to recognise Palestinian statehood, defying US-Israel backlash
Netanyahu’s accusations ‘erroneous’
The Élysée’s response was swift and sharp. Netanyahu’s charge, officials said, was “abject” and “erroneous”. In a statement, the presidency insisted: “This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation.”
Far from tolerating antisemitism, Paris underlined, France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”.
Macron’s office pointed out that since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, his government has ordered “the strongest action” against antisemitic crimes. Violence against French Jews, it added, is “intolerable”.
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Macron’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, was equally forthright. “France has no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism,” he declared, warning against exploiting “an issue which is poisoning our European societies”.
Spike in antisemitic acts
France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, and the government has faced rising numbers of reported antisemitic acts in recent years – jumping from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping slightly last year. Paris argues this makes its vigilance and record of action beyond question.
The latest diplomatic spat stems from Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September.
France – a longstanding supporter of the two-state solution – says the step is meant to push back against Hamas and revive the prospects of peace.
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More than 145 UN members have already recognised Palestinian statehood or plan to do so.
Why is France recognising Palestinian statehood and will it change anything?
Reaction from Ramallah
In Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority welcomed France’s stance and strongly condemned Netanyahu’s claims.
Its foreign ministry said his accusations were “unjustified and hostile to peace”, dismissing what it called the “old record” of conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. “No one is fooled,” the ministry added.
The row has unfolded against a wider backdrop of diplomatic tension. Netanyahu on Tuesday also turned his ire on Australia, branding Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews” after Canberra announced it too would recognise a Palestinian state.
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That dispute has already seen tit-for-tat visa cancellations between the two countries.
For France, however, the priority is to ensure that its recognition of Palestinian statehood is not misconstrued as hostility towards Jews at home or abroad. Officials insist the move is in line with decades of French diplomacy, not a departure from it.