Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned French President Emmanuel Macron that his recent statements about recognizing a Palestinian state have fueled antisemitism in France and emboldened Hamas in a strongly worded letter.
“I am concerned with the alarming rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of decisive action by your government to confront it,” Netanyahu wrote in the letter, dated August 17, 2025.
“During recent years, antisemitism has plagued French cities. Since your public statements attacking Israel and signaling recognition of a Palestinian state, it has surged.”
Netanyahu cited a string of violent incidents targeting Jews in France in recent months. He referred to the assault of a Jewish man in Livry-Gargan who was beaten and robbed of his Star of David, the vandalism of El Al’s Paris offices with graffiti calling it a “genocidal airline,” the arson of a Jewish elementary school in Lyon that was defaced with swastikas and pro-Palestinian slogans, and attacks on rabbis in Paris.
“These are not isolated incidents. They are a plague,” the prime minister wrote.
Emboldening Hamas with calls for Palestinian statehood
Netanyahu accused Macron of emboldening Hamas by calling for Palestinian statehood. “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.”
The Israeli leader contrasted Macron’s position with that of US President Donald Trump, whom he praised for combating antisemitism. “As President Trump has shown, antisemitism can and must be confronted,” Netanyahu wrote, pointing to Trump’s enforcement of civil rights, prosecution of antisemitic crimes, and deportation of Hamas sympathizers.
Closing his letter, Netanyahu urged Macron to take firm action against antisemitism and set a symbolic deadline of September 23, 2025, the Jewish New Year.
“President Macron, antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025. History will not forgive hesitation. It will honor action.”
France's response to Netanyahu
"The claim that France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state as early as September is the cause of the rise in antisemitic violence in France is incorrect, outrageous, and will not go unanswered," said the Élysée Palace in a statement in response to Netanyahu's comments.
The response also added: "According to the usual protocol on this matter, the President of the Republic will respond to the Prime Minister of Israel in writing, before any public comment is made to the media."
Acts of violence against the Jewish community are intolerable. The Republic condemns and will always defend its Jewish citizens. The current period requires seriousness and responsibility — not confusion of concepts or manipulations."