Benjamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron’s strained relationship plummeted to new depths on Tuesday, with the Israeli PM accusing the French president of fueling antisemitism with his decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
In a letter sent Sunday obtained by POLITICO, Netanyahu talks about antisemitic incidents which have taken place since France in recent months and attempts to link them to Macron’s policy on Palestine, saying: “Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire.”
“It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,” he added.
Macron’s office retorted in a statement Tuesday shortly after the letter surfaced in French media, saying that Netanyahu’s assertion that the decision to recognize a Palestinian state had led to an increase in antisemitic violence in France was “erroneous, despicable and will not go unanswered.
The statement said that Macron would respond to Netanyahu by mail and noted Macron’s efforts to stamp out antisemitism in France, including the rise in incidents following the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks.
“[France] protects and will always protect its compatriots of the Jewish faith,” it added, saying the moment “demands seriousness and responsibility, not confusion and manipulation.”
On July 24, Macron announced that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel that it was rewarding Hamas for carrying out the 2023 terror attack that left about 1,200 people dead and saw some 250 taken hostage. Israel responded with overwhelming force and recently expanded its operations in the Gaza Strip in an effort to wipe out Hamas.
More than 60,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties, but a growing number of academics and government officials — including those in the European Union — are accusing Israel of conducting war crimes or genocide.
Macron announced late last month that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. General Assembly in September, a move that immediately drew condemnation from Israel. The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia followed suit shortly after, albeit with caveats.
There has been a significant increase in antisemitic incidents in France since the Oct. 7 attacks and the ensuing Israeli military campaign, but the most recent report published by the French government’s Conference on combating antisemitism does not include figures for 2025.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sky News Australia reported that Netanyahu sent a letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also dated Aug. 17 and, similarly, accusing him in of rewarding Hamas terror and pouring “fuel on this antisemitic fire” by backing Palestinian recognition.
In his letter to Macron, Netanyahu praised U.S. President Donald Trump for confronting antisemitism in his country.
“The President is protecting the civil rights of American Jews, enforcing law, protecting public order and prosecuting antisemitic crimes,” Netanyahu said, adding: “I call upon you to replace weakness with action.”
Trump has cracked down hard on American universities during his second term, citing antisemitic incidents as justification for removing funding from some institutions. Some doubt that tackling antisemitism is the administration’s true motivation, though.
Joshua Berlinger in Paris and Joe Stanley-Smith contributed to this report.
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