Tension suddenly rose on Thursday, November 7, 2024, between France and Israel. Visiting the Jewish state, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot refused to enter Eléona, a French site in Jerusalem, while Israeli police entered it ” army “ et “without authorization”, before briefly arresting two gendarmes present on site.
Jean-Noël Barrot immediately denounced a “unacceptable situation”. “I'm not going in […] today, because Israeli security forces entered it in an armed manner, without first obtaining authorization from France and without agreeing to leave.”he told the press. “This attack on the integrity of an area placed under the responsibility of France is likely to weaken the links that I had come to cultivate with Israel, at a time when we all need to advance the region on the path of peace »he stressed.
“Don’t touch me!” »
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!” ». The two gendarmes were later released and it was not specified why the Israeli police entered the site.
The response from Paris was quick. “The Israeli ambassador to France will be summoned to the ministry in the coming days”indicated the Quai d'Orsay, adding that the presence of Israeli security forces on this pilgrimage site as well as the brief arrest of two French gendarmes were not “not acceptable”.
A French estate for 150 years
The Eleona, 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 so-called Pater cave, where Christ is said to have taught the Pater to his disciples, it 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 with their Romanesque churches.
“The domain of Eléona […] is an area which has not only belonged to France for more than 150 years, but which France ensures the safety, maintenance and with enormous care”said the minister. “The integrity of the four areas for which France is responsible here in Jerusalem must be respected”he insisted.
