Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi summoned to his office Thursday the French Ambassador to Israel Eric Danon to protest anti-Israel remarks made earlier in the week by France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
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Le Drian was interviewed by French media and said that the chances for a two-state solution were dwindling and Israel was in danger of becoming an apartheid state.
Ashkenazi said that Le Drian's remarks were "unacceptable and unfounded" and added that the Jewish state expected its friends not to make irresponsible statements that encourage extremists and anti-Israel elements.
The Israeli foreign minister expressed concerns over the rise of antisemitic incidents in France and stressed that he expected its leaders to condemn them and take measures to battle antisemitism.
"Israel is a democratic, law-abiding country, and I strongly protest any attempt to challenge this fact," Ashkenazi said.
"France has demonstrably ignored all the measures taken by Israel to prevent the situation from deteriorating, and the foreign minister's remarks, in effect, reward extremists and terrorist organizations, particularly the terrorist organization Hamas," he said.
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