Diplomatic tensions between France and Israel have deepened following an incident at a Jerusalem holy site under French administration.
On November 7, Israeli police reportedly entered the Church of the Pater Noster compound on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem — territory under French jurisdiction — and detained two French gendarmes with diplomatic status.
The timing of the incident, just as French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot was due to visit the compound, has provoked a sharp reaction from Paris.
Barrot decided against entering the site after noticing the Israeli police presence and soon after, the two French officers were briefly detained.
One of them reportedly asserted their status, asking the Israeli agents: “Are you sure you want to arrest a French military officer?” One of the Israelis allegedly replied with a curt “Yes.”
La police israélienne arrête 2 gendarmes français dans le domaine de l’Eleona, propriété française à Jérusalem-Est. Les gendarmes avaient demandé aux policiers de ne pas entrer dans ce lieu, avant la visite prévue du MAE @jnbarrot pic.twitter.com/597vz2Manv
— Sami Boukhelifa (@sambklf) November 7, 2024
Barrot accused Israel of harming bilateral ties between the two countries and condemned what he called the violation of French sovereignty.
“Today, I want to say with great firmness and seriousness that this situation is unacceptable and this violation of the integrity of an area under France’s responsibility is liable to weaken the ties I came here to cultivate with Israel at a time when we urgently need to move the region forward on the path to peace,” he said on November 7.
“The integrity of the four domains for which France is responsible must be respected,” he further emphasised.
The incident occurred as Barrot met with Israeli officials to discuss possible diplomatic resolutions with Lebanon and the war in Gaza.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris to demand an explanation.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the two French officials were released immediately after they identified themselves as diplomats.
The ties between the two countries have been under strain following French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for an embargo on Israeli arms and his condemnation of that country’s actions in the Middle East.
On October 5, Macron urged an end to arms supplies he said were fuelling the Gaza conflict and, on October 24, he expressed disapproval of Israel’s regional military strategies, accusing the nation of “perpetuating acts of barbarism”.
It was not the first time tensions have arisen regarding France’s historic holdings in Jerusalem.
In 2020, Macron lost his composure with Israeli security officers during a visit to a French church in the city. He angrily ordered one of the agents to leave the premises, an incident that echoed a similar clash between French and Israeli officials during the-president Jacques Chirac’s 1996 visit.
Back then, Chirac had a heated confrontation with Israeli security forces, who were tasked with protecting him but who were described by the French leader as being “provocative”.
