A new diplomatic incident between France and Israel marred the visit to Jerusalem of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday, when Israeli police entered “armed” and “without authorization,” according to him, on a religious site. belonging to France.
“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 to peace,” he stressed to the press.
“Unacceptable situation”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (r.) walks after canceling his visit to the Pater Noster Church, also known as the French-owned Eleona Estate.
Menahem Kahana/AFP
He did not specify why the Israeli police had entered the grounds of the Eleona national estate, next to which is a Carmelite convent (also under French diplomatic protection), located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. , Palestinian part of the city occupied and annexed by Israel since 1967.
Denouncing an “unacceptable situation”, the minister finally decided not to enter this pilgrimage site. Built on the grotto known as “du Pater”, where Christ, according to tradition, taught the Our Father (Pater Noster, in Latin) 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 Sainte-Anne and the old crusader commandery of Abu Gosh with their Romanesque churches.
“Here in Israel, the holy places are particularly protected places. We don't enter with weapons. Furthermore, it is a French domain” for more than 150 years and whose security France ensures, he added. The Israeli ambassador in Paris will be summoned “in the coming days” to discuss this incident, announced the Quai d'Orsay.
“Don’t touch me”
Just after the minister's departure, a new incident involved Israeli police officers in uniform and two French gendarmes in civilian clothes, noted an AFP journalist.
During a very tense exchange, Israeli police officers grabbed one of them, throwing him to the ground before taking him into a police car. The gendarme, who had identified himself, shouted several times “Don’t touch me!”, according to the AFP journalist.
The two gendarmes were then released and a police official explained to them that they were not in uniform and that they had not shown their professional card.
Israeli police said in a statement that “two initially unidentified individuals” had “refused entry to the site to Israeli agents responsible for the minister’s security.”
Israel denied being behind the diplomatic incident. The Israeli Foreign Ministry assured in a statement that “the procedures were clarified in advance during preparatory discussions with the French Embassy in Israel.”
Several incidents with French leaders
On January 22, 2022, 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.”
Jacques Chirac unhappy in Jerusalem in 1996.
WHEN
The most famous incident remains that of 1996, when President Jacques Chirac also 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.
(afp)
