No, ambassador: Israel's anger with France is not 'staged,' it is earned - opinion

Benjamin Canet, writing from the perspective of a French, U.S., and Israeli citizen, directly challenges French Ambassador Frédéric Journès's assertion that Israeli public hostility toward France is "staged." Canet contends that the ambassador is not misunderstood but rather "seen with painful clarity," arguing that France's actions have systematically damaged Israel's security and moral standing, particularly during its most vulnerable period.

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you are not being misunderstood. You are being seen with painful clarity.

The author meticulously outlines a timeline of perceived slights and diplomatic missteps by France. President Emmanuel Macron's delayed visit to Israel following the October 7 attacks, contrasted with the swift arrivals of other Western leaders, is presented not as diplomatic nuance but as a signal of low priority. Macron's subsequent refusal to participate in a march against antisemitism in Paris further alienated the French-Jewish community and Israelis.

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It is a matter of actions that have systematically undermined Israel’s security and moral standing at its most vulnerable moment.

Canet also criticizes France's rhetoric regarding the conflict, specifically Macron's accusation that Israel was spreading "barbarism" while defending itself against Hezbollah. This framing, the author argues, felt like a defense of France's historical interests in Lebanon at the expense of Israeli lives. The decision to move toward unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state is described as a "diplomatic sucker punch," rewarding the October 7 massacre and actively derailing hostage negotiations by signaling to Hamas that Western recognition is inevitable.

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This was not “diplomatic nuance”; it was a signal of where we stood on the priority list.

Further compounding the perceived betrayal, France's move to boycott Israeli defense companies at international exhibitions is seen as an additional insult. Canet concludes that the ambassador's portrayal of a misunderstood ally ignores the concrete actions and rhetoric that have generated genuine and earned anger within Israel, stemming from a perceived lack of solidarity and support during a critical time.

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For a leader who speaks so often of “Republican values,” his absence was a thunderous abdication of moral leadership.