Ahead of the Palestinian state declaration at the UN and against the backdrop of an investigative report published in France exposing connections with terror organizations, the Regavim movement demands that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar order the closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem. It should be noted that this is a step being considered in Jerusalem, which we have published extensively about due to Macron's conduct against Israel, but now pressure is increasing on Sa'ar to act and not just consider.
Regavim members wrote a letter to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, requesting the closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, in light of the scandalous diplomatic conduct and serious revelations published in an in-depth investigation on the French news site Atlantico.
The Regavim CEO emphasized in his letter to Sa'ar the very unusual status of a "consulate" that is not subordinate to the French ambassador in Israel – and mentioned the precedent of a parallel American diplomatic mission that was recently closed by the Trump administration. In the Atlantico investigation, journalists Sabrina Deliry and Joel Rey expose disturbing connections between the French consulate in Jerusalem and Palestinian terror organizations, including Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The article reveals that the consulate supports the "Al-Bustan" center in Silwan, supposedly intended for educational and cultural activities, and managed by figures connected to terror organizations. Among others, Daoud Ghoul, the center's director in 2019, was convicted and served prison time for membership in the PFLP, and Khatiba Awdah, the current director, is a family member of a Hamas operative responsible for many attacks. Additionally, Amir Mara'a, a member of the center's board of directors, published posts praising terrorists, including Hassan Nasrallah. French journalists who accompanied a delegation on behalf of the consulate were hosted by Sheikh Musa Awdah, a Silwan resident who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1980s for murder.
Last July, the consulate recommended accepting "Palestinian refugees" in France and even awarded a scholarship to a student from Gaza, the niece of Ayyub Ahmed Atallah, bodyguard of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who herself expressed support for extremist ideologies, including calls to murder Jews, praise for Hitler, and messages praising Hamas actions. Also on the list of "refugees" the consulate helped: the family of Moussa Abu Marzouk, one of Hamas' leaders, whose name appeared in documents found by the IDF in Gaza, and exposed secret contacts between the French consulate and Hamas, including a secret meeting in 2020 in Doha with Moussa Abu Marzouk and Khaled Mashaal.
"The consulate constitutes a central tool in implementing French policy that opposes Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, while using its ambiguous legal status as 'Palestine consulate' to undermine Jerusalem's status as Israel's united capital. The declaration by France's president, Emmanuel Macron, of his intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September 2025, exacerbates tensions and emphasizes the need for decisive diplomatic response measures from Israel," wrote Regavim CEO Meir Deutsch in the letter to Sa'ar.
Regavim requests the closure of the consulate, revocation of diplomatic visas, and efforts to deport key consulate personnel from the country, particularly the chief consul in Jerusalem, Nicolas Cassianides, who recently personally delivered a letter from President Macron to Abu Mazen, the PA president, declaring France's upcoming recognition of a Palestinian state. "The French consulate's involvement in funding activities connected to terror organizations, while disguising them as humanitarian and educational activity, is not only a security danger, but also deliberately undermines the situation in the country and provides legitimacy for violent organizations to challenge Israeli sovereignty in the capital," they told Israel Hayom.
