France on Tuesday strongly dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that President Emmanuel Macron was fueling antisemitism, insisting it has “no lessons to learn” on the matter.
"I would like to say very clearly and very firmly that this issue of antisemitism, which is poisoning our European societies... cannot be exploited," Benjamin Haddad said on broadcaster BFMTV.
France "protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens," the Elysee said, adding that a letter from Netanyahu containing his allegation "will not go unanswered."
"This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation," the Elysee added.
Netanyahu rebuked Macron in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, accusing him of fueling antisemitism by announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
Macron said last month that France would formally recognize Palestinian statehood at a United Nations meeting in September, joining a growing number of countries that have made similar moves since Israel’s war on Gaza began nearly two years ago. Israel quickly rejected the decision.
In his letter, Netanyahu claimed antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement. “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,” he wrote.
He also urged Macron to take stronger measures against antisemitism, calling on him to “replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, Sept. 23.”
According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the UN’s 193 member states now recognize or plan to recognize Palestine, including Australia, Britain and Canada. Australia announced earlier this month that it would move ahead with recognition in September.
Netanyahu also targeted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday, calling him a “weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews” in a post on his office’s official X account. The comments came amid a diplomatic dispute after Canberra canceled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Rothman had been scheduled to speak at events organized by the Australian Jewish Association.
Following the cancellation, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had revoked the visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the move as an “unjustified reaction,” saying Netanyahu’s government was “isolating Israel and undermining international efforts toward peace and a two-state solution.”
