The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, in Paris, June 3, 2024 (AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT)
Did Emmanuel Macron “become aware of what happened during the Shoah?” The President of the Republic must respond Thursday to the blunt sermon of the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, outraged by the remarks attributed to the Head of State on the birth of Israel.
“To doubt the existence of Israel touches on fundamental questions for me.” On Europe 1 and CNews, the third figure of the State lost his temper, directly targeting the President of the Republic by accusing him of a “misunderstanding of the history of the birth of Israel”.
In question, statements by the Head of State reported by participants in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday: “Mr. Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN”, launched Emmanuel Macron according to these sources, while the war in Gaza and Lebanon was being discussed. He also indirectly urged the Israeli Prime Minister not to “free himself from UN decisions”.
Traveling to Brussels for the European Union Summit on Thursday, Emmanuel Macron sees pressure mounting around his recent positions on the conflict in the Middle East.
Because these declarations are a new step taken in the growing diplomatic tensions between France and Israel and between MM. Macron and Netanyahu. The latter are increasing their invectives, with a trigger: the French leader’s call to stop supplying Israel with weapons used to shell Gaza.
“I was stunned that these comments could be made,” said Gérard Larcher indignantly, referring to Tuesday’s declarations on the creation of Israel. According to the President of the Senate, the birth of Israel “did not come as a notarial act only noted by the UN.”
– Strong reactions –
“Did Emmanuel Macron remember the Balfour Declaration? Was he aware of what happened during the Shoah and after the Shoah?” affirming that there was “a sort of doubt” about the fact that the head of state could question the legitimacy of Israel’s existence.
“I don’t suspect anything, I say that Israel’s right to exist is neither debatable nor negotiable,” he added.
This lively sermon joins other indignant reactions observed within the Macronist camp in the National Assembly, the group of deputies Together for the Republic. The former president of the group Sylvain Maillard had in fact confirmed on Wednesday “somewhat heated discussions” internally on the messaging loop of EPR deputies.
Caroline Yadan, the deputy for the 8th constituency of French people established outside France, including Israel, had criticized X for an “unworthy” sentence.
“The link of the Jewish people to the land of Israel did not need the UN to exist, Zionism is a dream several thousand years old and to reduce Israel to a single UN decision is to deny the history of the Jewish people and their legitimate and historical link to this land,” she said.
On Thursday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon nevertheless tried to contextualize the comments attributed to Emmanuel Macron, which according to her were part of “a global framework”.
“He recalled the need for everyone to respect international rules. Israel must respect them,” she said on Sud Radio.
“I would not let it be said that the president has not been on the side of Israel and the Israeli people for a year and since these terrorist attacks of October 7, that is false,” she added.
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