Unease grows within France over President Macron’s comments on Israel

French President Macron’s comments on Israel’s existence spark unease in France, facing backlash from within and abroad

French President Emmanuel Macron's comments that Israel owes its existence to a United Nations resolution have sparked unease in France, with the President given a furious rebuke by the upper house speaker but also facing disquiet from within his own ranks.

The remarks attributed to Mr. Macron during a cabinet meeting Tuesday (October 15, 2024) that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as they were created by the world body have angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But there has also been a strong reaction within France, home to Europe's largest Jewish community, with Jewish groups, political heavyweights and even Macron allies speaking out against the comments.

International Affairs are one of the few remaining areas where Macron, who on Thursday (October 17, 2024) attended an EU summit in Brussels, enjoys political leeway following this summer's legislative elections, which resulted in the centrist overseeing a distinctly right-wing government.

"It first of all shows an ignorance of the history of the birth of the State of Israel," Gerard Larcher, the right-wing speaker of the upper house Senate, told Europe 1 radio. "Questioning the existence of Israel touches on fundamental questions for me," he said.

"I was astounded that these remarks could be made," he added, arguing that the creation of Israel "did not come as a notarial act merely validated by the UN".

Mr. Larcher would take over the presidency if centrist Mr. Macron was incapacitated or suddenly resigned. He is a senior figure in the right-wing Republicans (LR) party, to which Prime Minister Michel Barnier also belongs.

'Distortion of history'

"Mr. Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN," Mr. Macron told the weekly French cabinet meeting.

The President was referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

"Therefore this is not the time to disregard the decisions of the UN," he added, as concern grows over Israeli fire on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

His comments from the closed-door meeting at the Elysee Palace were quoted by two participants who spoke to AFP and asked not to be named.

In a blistering attack that is highly unusual from an establishment figure in France, Mr. Larcher questioned if Mr. Macron had taken account of the 1917 British Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland, and even the Holocaust and its consequences.

Mr. Larcher added Mr. Macron had created "doubt" with his comments and while he "did not suspect him of anything, I say that Israel's right to exist is neither debatable nor negotiable".

Mr. Netanyahu has hit back at Mr. Macron, saying the country's founding was achieved by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, not a UN ruling.

He also said that among those who fought for Israel in 1948 were French Jews who had been sent to death camps after being rounded up by the collaborationist Vichy regime, which governed a large part of France during the Nazi occupation in World War II.

In an interview with France's Le Figaro daily published on Thursday (October 17, 2024), Mr. Netanyahu accused Mr. Macron of a "distressing distortion of history" and "disrespect".

'International rules'

Caroline Yadan, a lawmaker for Mr. Macron's centrist party, said the comments attributed to the President were "unworthy".

"Reducing Israel to a single UN decision is to deny the history of the Jewish people and its legitimate and historical connection to this land," she wrote on X. "What does this statement imply? That what the UN has done, the UN can undo? Is this a warning?"

Parliamentary sources told AFP that Mr. Macron's comments had sparked strong reactions within his own Renaissance party.

"There are some rather heated discussions," prominent Renaissance MP Sylvain Maillard confirmed to AFP, saying about 10 deputies were in a messaging group on the issue.

A Former Minister, asking not to be named, added: "There have been monstrous arguments."

Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon insisted on Thursday (October 17, 2024) that Mr. Macron's remarks needed to be looked at in their full context.

"He recalled the need for everyone to respect international rules. Israel must respect them," she told Sud Radio.

She added Mr. Macron had been "at the side of Israel and the Israeli people for a year and since the terrorist attacks of October 7" when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

Published - October 18, 2024 11:52 am IST