France calls Netanyahu antisemitism claim ‘abject’

France slams as “abject” and “erroneous” an accusation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that President Emmanuel Macron’s move to recognize a Palestinian state was fueling antisemitism in his country.

France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens,” Macron’s office says, adding that a letter from Netanyahu containing his allegation “will not go unanswered.”

“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” the French presidency adds.

“Violence against the [French] Jewish community is intolerable,” the French presidency says.

“That is why, beyond criminal convictions, the president has systematically required all his governments since 2017 — and even more so since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 — to show the strongest action against perpetrators of antisemitic acts,” it says.

Macron’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, separately says in reaction to Netanyahu’s letter that France has “no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism.”

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

France is home to Europe’s biggest Jewish community.

Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry.