French ambassador to 'Post': Israel made a mistake, Macron is correct - opinion

The French ambassador to Israel, Frédèric Journes, has pushed back against what he calls a "deepening and somehow staged hostility" towards France within Israel. In an opinion piece for The Jerusalem Post, Journes defended France's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, asserting that his country is unfairly targeted and misunderstood.

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I cannot remain silent anymore; enough is enough.

Journes arrived in Israel in August 2023, full of enthusiasm for his role, but the October 7 attacks deeply affected his experience. He expressed shared anxiety and pain with Israelis, acknowledging the horror of the Hamas pogrom and the subsequent war. France, he noted, also reacted with shock, recalling its own experiences with Islamist terror and classifying Hamas and Hezbollah’s armed wing as terrorist organizations.

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France was shocked too. We instantly remembered Bataclan and Nice. We knew Islamist terror and the necessity to fight it.

France supported Israel's right to self-defense, contributing military assets to the region and commemorating the October 7 victims, over 50 of whom were French. The ambassador highlighted France's firm stance against terrorism, including its hawkish position on Iran's nuclear program. Despite these efforts, he stated, France is often portrayed as "treacherous, unreliable, and irrelevant," particularly after recognizing the State of Palestine and its decision not to participate in the recent conflict with Iran.

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We supported the right of Israel to defend itself, and we contributed to your defense with our military assets in the region, including during the 12-day war last June.

Journes lamented a perceived decline in Israel's traditional spirit of debate and controversy. He observed that differing opinions are now often seen as unfriendly, a trend he finds concerning. "This absence of debate in Israel makes the country vulnerable," he wrote, suggesting that a lack of nuanced discussion hinders open dialogue and understanding.

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And yet we are painted here as treacherous, unreliable, and irrelevant, especially since France recognized the State of Palestine last September, and even more since the beginning of the war with Iran, to which we made clear from day one we would not participate.