France-Israel clash over Palestinian state recognition

A diplomatic dispute between France and Israel intensified on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “fuelling the antisemitic fire” by planning to recognise a Palestinian state, prompting a first-class response from Paris that the allegations are “abject and erroneous” and will not go unanswered. The clashes came as Paris and other Western capitals prepare to recognise Palestine in September, and as France faces rising antisemitic incidents amid the Gaza war.

Netanyahu’s letter to Macron argued that antisemitism in France had surged since Macron signaled that France would recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations General Assembly meeting next month. The French presidency characterized the accusation as an inappropriate use of the issue for political leverage, stating that violence against France’s Jewish community is intolerable and stressing that France has long required the strongest action against perpetrators of antisemitic acts. Macron’s office added that the president’s move toward recognition is part of a broader effort to advance a two-state solution and a durable peace, not to fuel hatred.