“The State of Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem, is still keen to demonstrate its sovereignty,” says researcher

The Israeli ambassador to France was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday to, according to the Quai d'Orsay, “provide explanations and discuss possible consequences”, after the arrest of two French gendarmes in Jerusalem last week. For Denis Charbit, researcher, this event is “the sign of a crisis”.

The Israeli ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, November 12, following the arrest of two French gendarmes, responsible for protecting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, by Israeli police officers, Thursday, November 7, in Jerusalem. “We are witnessing a deterioration [des relations] which started with the sentences of Emmanuel Macron and continued with the UNIFIL bombing, underlines Denis Charbit, researcher, professor of political science at the Open University of Israel, his latest book Israel, the impossible normal state is published by Calmann-Lévy.

“In this never-ending war, signs of impatience are showing on the French side, as well as on the Israeli side.”

Denis Charbit, professor of political science at the Open University of Israel

at franceinfo

This summons of the Israeli ambassador is the second in a month, after that of October 11 following Israeli fire against UNIFIL, the United Nations force in Lebanon. On November 7, it was not the minister who had difficulties with Israeli security officials, but the gendarmes. Israeli police entered “armed” and “without authorization” into Eléona, a historic pilgrimage site managed by France in East Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, “France wants to assert what it considers to be its sovereignty in holy places over which it has exercised protection since the 19th centurythink Denis Charbit, and the State of Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem, is still keen to demonstrate its sovereignty. A sovereignty contested by France. All of this produces these types of unfortunate, regrettable exchanges.”

This incident can perhaps be explained by the fact that, “on the Israeli side, it was the Ministry of Police, the Ministry of Internal Security which intervened. It is led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is far right and who has a much more muscular attitude than his predecessors . He does less in diplomacy”, resumes Denis Charbit.

For this political science professor, East Jerusalem remains a thorny subject and this incident is a sign “of a crisis, of a misunderstanding”.