French President Emmanuel Macron protested to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about interference by ministers in the Israeli government in the French parliamentary elections, Axios' Barak Ravid reported on Tuesday citing two sources familiar with the details of the conversation.
The French President reportedly took issue with Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli's open support for Marine Le Pen's right-wing National Rally in the election that ended with the left-wing NFP alliance winning the most seats.
According to the report, the French President phoned the Prime Minister last week, one day after the Israeli Minister commented in an interview that a La Pen presidency would be good for Israel and that Netanyahu would agree. While the conversation focused on the war in Gaza and tensions on the northern border, Macron also brought up Chikli’s comments.
The sources said that Macron complained to Netanyahu about "interference" by Israeli government officials in the French parliamentary elections and emphasized that "this is unacceptable"
The report adds that Netanyahu told Macron that he instructed all government ministers not to speak publicly about the French parliamentary elections.
During the second round of elections on Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media: "We wish the French people success in today's elections. The State of Israel is not involved in the French elections and respects French democracy - as we always expect other countries to respect Israeli democracy. We will maintain the friendly ties between our nations and continue to work together in facing the many shared challenges we encounter."
The Prime Minister's Office and the French Embassy in Israel declined to comment on the matter.