Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided President Emmanuel Macron in a letter seen by AFP Tuesday, blaming the French leader's move to recognize a Palestinian state for fueling anti-semitism.
France has "no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism," the country's minister for Europe said on Tuesday after the Israeli Prime Minister’s accusations.
"I would like to say very clearly and very firmly that this issue of antisemitism, which is poisoning our European societies... cannot be exploited," Benjamin Haddad said on broadcaster BFMTV.
Late last month, Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel.
By announcing the move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to recognize statehood for the Palestinians since Israel launched a bombardment of Gaza nearly two years ago in response to Hamas's shock attack.
In the letter sent to Macron, Netanyahu said antisemitism had "surged" in France following the announcement.
"Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy; it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas's refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets," Netanyahu wrote in the letter.
The Israeli premier went on to call on Macron to confront antisemitism in France, saying he must "replace weakness with action and appeasement with resolve, and do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23."
AFP
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