In a letter to the Israeli prime minister published on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected Benjamin Netanyahu's accusation that France is fuelling anti-Semitism through its planned recognition of the Palestinian state.
In the letter, published by French newspaper Le Monde, Macron said Netanyahu's claims of French inaction against anti-Semitism were "unacceptable and offensive to France as a whole", and warned Israel’s leader against a "murderous headlong rush" in Gaza.
He added that: "The fight against anti-Semitism must not be exploited for political ends."
The row was sparked when Netanyahu wrote to Macron on 17 August, expressing his concern over "the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in France" and accused the French president of "feeding the fire" by signalling his intention to recognise Palestinian statehood.
The Israeli leader argued that anti-Semitic incidents in France had risen since Macron’s statements about Palestine and accused the French government of a "lack of decisive action".
The Élysée swiftly rejected the claims, and in his letter published yesterday Macron underlined France’s record in combating anti-Semitism – which he said had historically been fuelled by the far right but today also came from segments of the far left.
He stressed: “I remain, and will remain, the guarantor of the imperative need to fight this abomination, everywhere and always.”
France rejects Netanyahu’s antisemitism claim over recognition of Palestine
Figures from France’s interior ministry show there have been 504 anti-Semitic incidents recorded between January and May this year – a decline of 24 percent compared to 2024, although still more than double the level of 2023.
The issue is particularly sensitive in France, which is home to both the largest Jewish community in Western Europe – at around half a million people – and a sizeable Arab-Muslim population.
While Macron initially stood firmly with Israel following the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, he has since sharpened his criticism of Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy.
France summons US ambassador over antisemitism criticism
In his letter, he urged the prime minister to end "the illegal and unjustifiable recolonisation of the West Bank" and embrace international efforts for "peace, security and prosperity".
Recognising a Palestinian state, Macron insisted, was not an endorsement of Hamas but instead the "only way to eradicate" the group and to spare young Israelis a future of endless war.
"The Palestinian state must constitute the end of Hamas," he wrote.
Washington too has entered the diplomatic row, with the United States ambassador to France Charles Kushner – father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner – sending Macron a letter echoing Netanyahu’s arguments.
He was summoned to the French foreign ministry on Monday.
