Issuing ultimatum, Netanyahu tells Macron Palestine recognition fuels antisemitism

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, charging that the latter’s move to recognize a Palestinian state fuels antisemitism, drawing a combative response from Paris.

Late last month, Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel.

By announcing the move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to have recognized statehood for the Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago. Many Western nations have followed in Paris’s footsteps.

In the letter sent to Macron, seen by AFP, Netanyahu said antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement.

“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,” Netanyahu wrote in the letter.

The premier went on to call on Macron to confront antisemitism in France, saying he must “replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23,” known as Rosh Hashanah.

The Elysee Palace slammed the accusation as “abject” and “erroneous.”

France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens,” the Elysee said, adding that Netanyahu’s letter “will not go unanswered.”

“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” it added.

Benjamin Haddad, France’s minister for Europe, said the country has “no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism.”

The issue, “which is poisoning our European societies,” must not be “exploited,” Haddad added.

France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

Australia joined the list earlier this month, announcing its intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September.

Sky News reported earlier Tuesday that Netanyahu sent a similar letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, indicating that he’s sending them to the leaders of all countries that announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.

Netanyahu also openly slammed Albanese on Tuesday, labeling him a “weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” in an angry post on his office’s official X account.

The personal attack came amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries after the Australian government on Monday canceled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman.

Rothman, whose party is in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, had been scheduled to speak at events organized by the Australian Jewish Association.

Hours after his visa was canceled, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he had revoked the visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

In a statement, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said revoking their visas was an “unjustified reaction” by Israel and that Netanyahu’s government was “isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution.”