Posted on 09/03/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
French President Emmanuel Macron requested to make a snap visit to Israel, but the request was rejected, with a condition attached, according to a report which aired Wednesday evening on Kan 11 News.
The report stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed a message to Macron, stipulating that he must retract his intention to recognize a Palestinian state in order to visit Israel. Macron reportedly refused.
An Israeli source quoted in the report said, “We won’t let Macron play both sides.”
Earlier, former French parliament member Meyer Habib told Kan 11 that Macron had indeed sought to visit Israel but was turned down by Netanyahu.
“Macron sent a message to Netanyahu expressing his desire to come, but Netanyahu responded that under the current circumstances, it’s not the right time for a visit,” Habib said.
Tensions between Israel and France have been high even before Macron announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state on September 22, during the UN General Assembly, stemming from Macron’s ongoing criticism of Israel’s counterterrorism operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The French President twice called for an arms embargo against Israel to stop the conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah, saying that "stopping the export of weapons" used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there.
Later, Macron warned that Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza may be in breach of international humanitarian law.
In late August, Netanyahu sent a letter to Macron in which he wrote that antisemitism had "surged" in France following Macron’s announcement that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state.
In his letter, Netanyahu wrote, "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."
The French Presidency condemned Netanyahu’s accusation as "abject" and "erroneous," stating that France "protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens."