From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 30, 2025
Israel accuses France’s Macron of ‘crusade against the Jewish state’
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After France’s president says European countries should adopt a tougher stance against Israel if it doesn’t change its humanitarian aid policies in Gaza, Israel accuses Emmanuel Macron of embarking on a “crusade against the Jewish state.”
The reference to a crusade is a loaded charge. French knights and religious leaders played a leading role in the medieval religious wars launched by European Christians — widely referred to as the Franks — primarily to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule. Jews in France, German-speaking territories and the Land of Israel were targeted by Crusaders in bouts of extreme violence.
Jews still read agonizing poems from the period on Tisha B’Av, their national day of mourning.
“The facts do not interest Macron,” says the Foreign Ministry in a post on X. “There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie. Israel is currently facilitating the entry of aid to Gaza through two parallel efforts.”
The Foreign Ministry points to the entry of almost 900 aid trucks into Gaza this week, and the debut of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund distribution sites, which have delivered over two million meals in four days, according to its own account. Aid deliveries to Gaza resumed last week after Israel barred goods from entering the enclave on March 2.
“Instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state,” says the Foreign Ministry. “No doubt its national day will be October 7.”
Macron said earlier today that recognition of a Palestinian state, with conditions, is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.”
France is considering recognizing a Palestinian state ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security.
“It is against Israel — under attack on multiple fronts in an attempt to destroy it — that Macron seeks to impose sanctions,” continues the Foreign Ministry.
“Hamas, for its part, has already praised Macron’s statements. Hamas knows why.”
The Times of Israel Community.