French ambassador to Israel, Éric Danon, presented a pessimistic forecast for the Netanyahu government in a conversation with a senior official at the Foreign Ministry.
"There is a possibility that the region will be more violent under the Netanyahu government that will be established," he said in light of a diplomatic incident in which consulate personnel were not allowed into Israel through the Bethlehem checkpoint.
According to Galei Tzahal, the ambassador also added that in any case Israel's image in France is facing a "low point" and such incidents make it difficult for the French embassy to advocate for Israel and convey positive messages to Paris.
In July of this year, Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas held talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron in Paris focusing on the "peace process" and PA elections.
Abbas and Macron also broached ways of "exerting pressure on Israel to provide the appropriate atmosphere for holding the elections, specifically in the city of Jerusalem."
The PA chairman previously met Macron in 2020, when he expressed hope that France would recognize a Palestinian state.
While several European countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.