A French ministerial visit to Jerusalem turns sour when Israeli police enter “armed” on a French site. Discover behind the scenes of this diplomatic incident which shakes ties between France and Israel…
It is a diplomatic incident which risks leaving traces. The visit of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, to Jerusalem this Thursday was marked by a tense episode when the Israeli police entered “armed” and “without authorization” on a site belonging to France, according to the minister . A situation he described as “unacceptable”.
The incident took place at the Eleona, a pilgrimage site located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part of the city occupied and annexed by Israel since 1967. The minister refused to enter, declaring: “I am not going to enter (…) today, because the Israeli security forces entered there in an armed manner, without first obtaining authorization from France and without agreeing to get out of it”.
Two French gendarmes briefly arrested
Tensions escalated when, during virulent exchanges, Israeli police surrounded two French gendarmes, grabbing one of them by force and putting him on the ground before loading him into a police car. The official, who had identified himself, yelled several times “Don't touch me!”, according to an AFP journalist on site. The two gendarmes were later released and it was not specified why the Israeli police entered the site.
The integrity of French domains called into question
Mr. Barrot stressed that this attack on the integrity of an area placed under the responsibility of France was “likely to weaken the links” that he had nevertheless come to cultivate with Israel, “at a time when we have all need to move the region forward on the path to peace.” The Eléona is one of the four French national domains in and near Jerusalem, with the Tomb of the Kings, the Basilica of Saint Anne and the former crusader commandery of Abu Gosh.
“The integrity of the four areas for which France is responsible here in Jerusalem must be respected.”
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs
A series of embarrassing incidents
This episode is reminiscent of other diplomatic incidents that have occurred in the past. On January 22, 2020, the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron was also marked by a stampede in front of the Sainte-Anne basilica. The president said in English to an Israeli police officer “I don't like what you did in front of me”. But the most famous incident remains that of 1996, when President Jacques Chirac lost his temper against Israeli soldiers who were surrounding him too closely, saying “Do you want me to go back to my plane?” (“Do you want me to get back on board my plane?”), before demanding that the soldiers leave the Sainte-Anne area.
These repeated incidents highlight the persistent tensions around the status of Jerusalem and France's desire to preserve its sovereignty over its historic domains in the holy city. It remains to be seen whether this episode will have lasting repercussions on Franco-Israeli relations, at a time when the region needs stability and dialogue more than ever.
