In a charged speech, MK Avi Maoz (Noam) launched a scathing critique against French President Emmanuel Macron and France’s recent foreign policy statements regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Maoz accused Macron and his government of crossing a red line. “When a country with a bloody colonial history, which still controls 11 far overseas territories, dares to preach to Israel about occupation – that’s hypocrisy,” Maoz said. “France is the forefather of colonization. Anyone giving us lectures on morality should first look in the mirror.”
Maoz also said he attempted to raise the issue for urgent discussion in the Knesset, but the request was denied.
“They’re silencing us from talking about antisemitism,” he claimed. “But we cannot continue ignoring the facts – Macron’s statements and those of his government give support to hate.”
Backing his words with data, Maoz cited a recent report by the Anti-Defamation League that showed a staggering 185% rise in antisemitic incidents in France in 2024. “The facts on the ground speak for themselves,” he said.
Maoz also criticized France’s plan to host a summit next month in Paris, aimed at advancing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
“This isn’t a peace initiative,” he warned. “It’s a message to extremists that terrorism is rewarded. Instead of deterring them, it encourages them.”
He pointed out France’s ongoing control over territories such as New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and French Guiana. “Before preaching, France should take a long look at itself. You can’t hold on to colonies in the 21st century and pretend to care about human rights. When Macron talks about ending ‘the occupation,’ we should remind him: France is the original occupier.”
The criticism of France did not only come from Israeli officials. French Jewish leaders also condemned recent statements made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who accused Israel of turning Gaza into a “house of death – if not a graveyard.” Barrot claimed Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and continuation of the fighting were “a profound offense to human dignity, a blatant violation of international law, and a threat to Israel’s own security – a security France is committed to.” He concluded, “Those who sow violence, reap violence.”
He also said that France is committed to recognizing a Palestinian state, claiming that such a step would be in the best interests of both Israel and the "Palestinians."
These comments sparked outrage among French Jewish communities. Rabbi Harold Avraham Weill, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg who served as former Chief Rabbi of Toulouse during the 2012 terror attack at the Ozar HaTorah Jewish school, wrote an open letter to Barrot, warning: “Your words grant a license to hate Jews. This is rhetoric that echoes the justification of terrorism in Toulouse.”
In his letter, Rabbi Weill wrote: “I do not read your words as a dry diplomatic memo. I hear the screams. I remember the silence of the children. This is not diplomacy – this is a moral disgrace.”
“This is not just a regrettable statement,” the rabbi wrote. “These are the exact words used by Mohamed Merah, who carried out the massacre at the Jewish school in Toulouse. To justify the murders, he said: ‘Israel kills children – so I kill children.’ When a senior French government official uses the same language, he is not only reviving a dangerous discourse – he is actively endangering Jewish communities.”
