Middle East: Netanyahu accuses Macron of "fueling the anti-Semitic fire" and sets him an ultimatum

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of "fueling the anti-Semitic fire" in France by calling for international recognition of the State of Palestine.

"I call on you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with will, and to do so before a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025," according to a letter signed by Benjamin Netanyahu, dated August 17, and sent to AFP on Tuesday. "I am concerned by the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in France and the lack of decisive action by your government to address it. In recent years, anti-Semitism has ravaged French cities," wrote Benjamin Netanyahu. "Since your public statements attacking Israel and signaling recognition of a Palestinian state , it has increased," he said.

"Following Hamas's savage attack on the Israeli people on October 7, 2023, pro-Hamas extremists and left-wing radicals launched a campaign of intimidation, vandalism, and violence against Jews across Europe," a campaign that "has intensified in France" under Emmanuel Macron, the Israeli Prime Minister believes.

He lists several recent incidents, including the ransacking of the entrance to the El Al airline offices in Paris, the assault of a Jewish man in Livry-Gargan, and rabbis "attacked in the streets of Paris." "These incidents are not isolated. They constitute a plague." "Your call for a Palestinian state fuels this anti-Semitic fire. [...] It rewards Hamas's terror, reinforces Hamas's refusal to release the hostages, encourages those who threaten French Jews, and fosters the hatred of Jews that now prowls your streets," Benjamin Netanyahu continues.

As a counter-example, he praises US President Donald Trump for his "fight" against anti-Semitic crimes and for "protecting American Jews." "President Macron, anti-Semitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders remain silent. It recedes when leaders act. I call on you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with will, and to do so before a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025," the Israeli Prime Minister concluded.