Netanyahu accuses Macron of fueling antisemitism

Benjamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron’s strained relationship plummeted to new depths on Tuesday, with the Israeli PM accusing the French president of fueling antisemitism with his decision to recognize a Palestinian state, POLITICO reports.

In a letter sent Sunday obtained by POLITICO, Netanyahu talks about antisemitic incidents which have taken place since France in recent months and attempts to link them to Macron’s policy on Palestine, saying: “Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire," according to POLITICO. 

“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 added.

Macron’s office retorted in a statement Tuesday shortly after the letter surfaced in French media, saying that Netanyahu’s assertion that the decision to recognize a Palestinian state had led to an increase in antisemitic violence in France was “erroneous, despicable and will not go unanswered.

The statement said that Macron would respond to Netanyahu by mail and noted Macron’s efforts to stamp out antisemitism in France, including the rise in incidents following the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks.

“[France] protects and will always protect its compatriots of the Jewish faith,” it added, saying the moment “demands seriousness and responsibility, not confusion and manipulation.”