From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 7, 2024
French FM scratches trip to Jerusalem church after diplomatic scuffle
Israeli police entered the French-owned Eleona church compound in Jerusalem and briefly detained two gendarmes, prompting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to abandon a scheduled visit, an AFP journalist says.
La police israélienne arrête 2 gendarmes français dans le domaine de l’Eleona, propriété française à Jérusalem-Est. Les gendarmes avaient demandé aux policiers de ne pas entrer dans ce lieu, avant la visite prévue du MAE @jnbarrot pic.twitter.com/597vz2Manv
— Sami Boukhelifa (@sambklf) November 7, 2024
“I will not enter the Eleona Domain today, because Israeli security forces entered with weapons, without prior French authorization, without agreeing to leave today,” Barrot says at the scene, calling the standoff “unacceptable.”
France claims the sanctuary on the Mount of Olives as its territory under international treaties. It has been the focus of diplomatic incidents in the past.
