Emmanuel Macron's comments suggesting that Israel owes its existence to a UN resolution have sparked unease in France. The president has faced a furious rebuke from the speaker of the upper house, as well as disquiet from within his own ranks.
The remarks attributed to Macron during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday—that Israel needs to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza, as it was created by the world body—have angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
There has also been a strong reaction within France, which is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, with Jewish groups, political heavyweights, and even Macron’s allies speaking out against the comments.
International affairs are one of the few remaining areas where Macron, who is attending an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, enjoys political leeway after this summer's legislative elections resulted in a distinctly right-wing government.
"It first of all shows an ignorance of the history of the birth of the State of Israel," Gérard Larcher, the right-wing speaker of the Senate, told Europe 1 radio. "Questioning the existence of Israel touches on fundamental questions for me," he added.
"I was astounded that these remarks could be made," Larcher continued, arguing that the creation of Israel "did not come as a notarial act merely validated by the UN."
Larcher would take over the presidency if Macron were 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," Macron stated during the weekly French cabinet meeting.
The president was referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly, which proposed the partition of 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 concerns grow over Israeli fire on UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Macron's comments, made during a closed-door meeting at the Élysée Palace, were quoted by two unnamed participants who spoke to AFP.
In a blistering attack that is highly unusual from an establishment figure in France, Larcher questioned whether Macron had considered the 1917 British Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland, as well as the Holocaust and its consequences.
Larcher stated that Macron had created "doubt" with his comments and emphasized that while he "did not suspect him of anything, Israel's right to exist is neither debatable nor negotiable."
Netanyahu responded to Macron, asserting that Israel's founding was achieved through the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, not a UN ruling. He also noted 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 during the Nazi occupation of World War II.
In an interview with France's Le Figaro published Thursday, Netanyahu accused Macron of a "distressing distortion of history" and "disrespect."
'International Rules'
Caroline Yadan, a lawmaker from Macron's centrist party, criticized the president's comments as "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 Macron's comments have sparked strong reactions within his own Renaissance party.
"There are some rather heated discussions," prominent Renaissance MP Sylvain Maillard confirmed to AFP, noting that about 10 deputies were in a messaging group discussing the issue.
A former minister, who requested anonymity, remarked, "There have been monstrous arguments."
Government spokeswoman Maud Brégeon insisted on Thursday that Macron's remarks needed to be viewed in full context.
"He recalled the need for everyone to respect international rules. Israel must respect them," she told Sud Radio.
She added that Macron had been "at the side of Israel and the Israeli people for a year, especially since the terrorist attacks of October 7," when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its attack on Israel, sparking the Gaza war.
With AFP
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