Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, the mood in Europe has been clearly anti-Israeli. European Union countries, and France in particular, accuse Israel of violating the cooperation agreement signed between the two parties and condemn the IDF for "flouting international law in the Palestinian territories." This biased accusation is based primarily on biased reports from Hamas and pro-Palestinian NGOs. Worse still, anti-Israeli condemnations and threats of sanctions fail to take into account Hamas' human rights violations or the difficulties for a democratic state fighting on the ground against a terrorist organization that holds hostages in inhumane conditions and uses its own population as human shields.
Of course, Israel categorically denies deliberately targeting civilians or religious buildings. It investigates every incident and admits that blunders are sometimes committed, such as the shooting of the Catholic church in Gaza.
Despite the admissions and apologies, the European Union persists and signs and seriously considers "the total suspension of the agreement to the restriction of trade relations, including sanctions against Israeli ministers, the imposition of an arms embargo, and the suspension of visa exemptions." These are senseless and unprecedented measures against a friendly and allied state that is fighting Islamist terrorism single-handedly and in reality doing "the dirty work."
These days, following a meeting in Brussels of EU foreign ministers with Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar, the European Union has decided, for the time being, not to adopt punitive measures against Israel as demanded by Ireland and Spain, as positive negotiations are underway.
On the Palestinian issue, we note that the French government's position has become much more hostile towards Israel. President Macron condemns at every opportunity "an unjustifiable war" in Gaza and gives the impression that he has erased the memory of the massacre of October 7, 2023. He boycotts the participation of Israeli companies in the Paris Air Show and then says nothing about the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdellah, a notorious terrorist who planned numerous attacks in France, including the assassination of Israeli diplomat Yaacov Bar Siman Tov. As for the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, he is not concerned about the massacre of the Druze in Syria but calls in a Gaullist tone for "an end to all forms of direct and indirect financial support for Israeli colonization." A perpetual and meaningless message that has not changed since the Algerian War, comments made at a time when France is threatened by Islamist terrorism and also by Russia, and has decided to double its army budget.
So, to strengthen France's military power, become a major arms dealer again, improve the trade balance, and reduce the enormous deficit, Macron unscrupulously sides with the Arab-Muslim camp, much to the dismay of the Jewish state. Is Jack Lang, the president of the Arab World Institute, his mentor? For more than two decades, this former Minister of Culture, whose father is Jewish, has expressed his sympathy for the Arabic language, calling it "a treasure of France." These days, he is calling on the French to unite and fight against "the bombings in Gaza and the Israeli government's intentions to decimate the Palestinian people."
President Macron's dishonorable behavior was exposed in broad daylight during the last parade on July 14, the day the Bastille was stormed. He preferred to be alongside the President of Indonesia and his troops, then to offer a grand dinner in honor of the Sheikh of Kuwait, not to mention the hugs, embraces and salaams at each meeting with an Arab leader, such as the Syrian Al Joulani (Ahmed al Charaa) or the president of the Paris Saint-Germain club, the Qatari, Nasser al-Khelaïfi.
In the same vein, Macron is also determined to recognize the "State of Palestine" even if he has not managed to obtain a concrete result. Following strong pressure from the United Kingdom, Germany, and especially the United States, he suddenly adopts a low profile by offering the privilege to his Minister of Foreign Affairs, JN Barrot, to chair an international meeting on the Palestinian issue planned for New York on July 28, 2025.
Emmanuel Macron's obsession with playing the role of referee in our region at all costs is unacceptable. It exacerbates the frustrations of the majority of Israelis, and as a result, French initiatives are automatically overlooked and rejected.
Following the successive failures of French diplomacy in our region and the dominance of the United States in Middle Eastern affairs, does President Macron wish to strengthen the friendship between our two peoples and adopt a new, creative, effective, and more balanced policy? We sincerely hope so, although we don't really believe in any genuine change.
We live in the Middle East, and we reject double-dealing, haughty, and moralistic rhetoric. We reject with contempt the threats and unjustified sanctions against us.
