Israel’s foreign ministry summoned France’s ambassador Helene Le Gal to protest comments by outgoing French Ambassador to the US Gerard Araud, who was highly critical of current Israeli policies against Palestinians.
Israel, enraged by the diplomat’s accusations of apartheid, has gone as far as ordering its government officials not to meet with Araud during his upcoming visit.
Le Gal said that Araud’s comments were not made in an official capacity and that they were not directed at Israel’s mainland policy, but rather to its conduct in the West Bank.
Tel Aviv, however, shunned the statement and warned any Israeli government official from meeting with Araud, who was expected to arrive in Israel within days.
Known as one of France's most prominent diplomats and a close ally of senior advisor to the US president, Jared Kushner, Araud just this month concluded five-year tenure as ambassador to Washington.
In a mid-April interview with “The Atlantic,” Araud admitted that the US’ championed peace plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, dubbed “deal of the century,” leverages Israeli interests and is likely to fail.
“Everywhere in the history of mankind, when there is a negotiation between two sides, the more powerful [party] is imposing terms on the weaker party,” he said, adding that this statement constitutes “the basis of Jared Kushner’s [peace plan]—it will be a proposal very close to what the Israelis want.”
“Is it doomed to fail? I should say 99 percent yes, but 1 percent, you never forget the 1 percent. Trump is uniquely able to push the Israelis, because he is so popular in Israel,” the former diplomat said.
Speaking on the wagers the White House is taking in order to secure success for the plan, Araud highlighted US President Donald Trump’s popularity among Israelis.
“He is more popular than [Benjamin] Netanyahu in Israel, so the Israelis trust him. That’s the first bet, Kushner told me,” he told The Atlantic.
Highlighting Israel’s strong position, Araud said: “The problem is that the disproportion of power is such between the two sides that the strongest may conclude that they have no interest to make concessions.”
“So they will have to make it official, which is we know the situation, which is an apartheid. There will be officially an apartheid state,” he added.
As for the raging Israeli-French diplomatic spat, Araud’s comments are only the tip of the iceberg. Last week, France decried Israel’s decision to deduct money from the monthly tax funds it transfers to the Palestinian Authority,
France demanded that Israel renew the transfer of the funds. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a letter to the French, according to the report, that the request was “morally and politically incorrect” and contrary to the European principles of how to fight terrorism.
He also said that Israel will “continue to act in accordance with the law of the Knesset.”
