Israel on Thursday said it would not agree to a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron so long as Paris plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
The statement came following a phone call between Israel's Foreign Minister and his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot.
Saar told Barrot, "there is no room" for a presidential visit "as long as France persists in its initiative and efforts that harm Israel's interests," Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected a request by Macron to make a brief visit ahead of the U.N. General Assembly later this month, where the president plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Paris should "reconsider its initiative," Saar told Barrot, claiming that the move would undermine regional stability and harm "Israel's national and security interests."
"Israel strives for good relations with France, but France must respect the Israeli position when it comes to issues essential to its security and future," Saar said, according to the statement.
Israel's genocidal war has killed more than 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to local health officials, and left much of the territory in ruins.
Tel Aviv launched the war after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel, causing 1,200 deaths and taking 251 hostages into Gaza.
Prospects for a cease-fire and a deal to release the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are thought to still be alive, appear dim.
Protests in Israel calling to end the war and reach a deal to release the hostages have intensified in the past few weeks.
Tensions between France and Israel have flared since Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. meeting. Several Western governments have announced similar plans.
The row escalated last month when Netanyahu accused Macron of fomenting "antisemitism," with the Elysee hitting back, calling the allegation "abject" and "erroneous."
By announcing the move to recognize statehood for Palestinians, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.
Making his announcement in July, Macron said the "urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza."
"We must finally build the State of Palestine" and ensure that it would "contribute to the security of all in the Middle East," he wrote on social media.
France is among at least 145 of the 193 U.N. members that now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state.
