The Israeli ambassador to France was summoned to the Quai d'Orsay after the diplomatic incident that occurred at the French Eléona estate on November 7 in Jerusalem, where two gendarmes were briefly arrested.
He speaks of an “important, friendly and clear” meeting. Guest of BFMTV this Tuesday, November 12, the Israeli ambassador to France Joshua Zarka returned to his summons to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the diplomatic incident that occurred in Jerusalem this Thursday.
“I was summoned: we had an important, friendly and clear meeting,” he assures, adding:
“This is a deplorable incident that should never have happened.”
Two police officers arrested
The “incident” mentioned took place this Thursday, November 7 in Jerusalem, in the French national domain of Eléona. “Without having been authorized, Israeli security entered this place armed,” denounced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, two French gendarmes were arrested and then released by the Israeli police that same day.
“France and Israel understood that there were disagreements regarding the status of French domains in Jerusalem. We decided to harmonize our points of view and make efforts to ensure that this never happens again,” explains Joshua Zarka.
The ambassador, however, does not recognize any fault on the part of Israeli soldiers today and once again evokes a “disagreement over the status of these areas between France and Israel.”
Administered by the Consulate General of France
This French national domain within which there is a Benedictine monastery is located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part of the city occupied and annexed by Israel since 1967.
Built on the cave where Christ is said to have taught the Pater to his disciples, it constitutes with the Tomb of the Kings, the Basilica of Sainte-Anne and the former crusader commandery of Abu Gosh one of the four French national domains located in or around of Jerusalem. The Eléona was bought by the Princess de la Tour d'Auvergne at the end of the 19th century before she donated it to France. It has since been administered by the French Consulate General in Jerusalem.
“Unacceptable”
This Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador Joshua Zarka was informed “that the presence of armed Israeli security in the Eléona area, as well as the arrest of two gendarmes from the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, who have a diplomatic status, are unacceptable”, according to a summary of Jean-Noël Barrot's press briefing.
This incident is all the more “unacceptable” as it occurred “between two countries which maintain a strong bilateral relationship, and as part of a visit aimed at de-escalating tensions”, insisted the minister.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended itself by affirming that the arrival of Israeli police forces at Eléona “had been clarified in advance with the French embassy in Israel”. “False allegations,” a French diplomatic source replied to BFMTV.
