Former Israeli ambassador and French historian urge Macron to sanction Israel

Two prominent voices with deep ties to Israel and the Middle East are urging President Emmanuel Macron to back up his announcement that France will recognise Palestinian statehood with concrete action over the crisis in Gaza.


Issued on: 06/08/2025 - RFI

A protest against Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv on 5 July 2025 calls for the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas. AP - Ohad Zwigenberg

Former Israeli ambassador to France Elie Barnavi and historian Vincent Lemire have called on Macron to impose sanctions on Israel, underlining the “absolute urgency” of such action given the worsening humanitarian crisis.

“Mr President, if immediate sanctions are not imposed on Israel, you will end up recognising a cemetery. We must act now to ensure food and medical aid can reach Gaza at scale,” they wrote, in an opinion piece published in the French newspaper Le Monde on Tuesday.

They argued that only firm and tangible sanctions would influence Israeli public opinion – and, by extension, the country's government – "to end the famine, to achieve a lasting ceasefire, to secure the release of all hostages, to protect Palestinians in the West Bank, to save Israel from itself".

France to recognise Palestinian statehood, defying US-Israel backlash

No excuse for 'inaction'

Barnavi and Lemire also dismissed the idea that a lack of European consensus is a valid excuse for inaction, pointing to the diplomatic momentum created on 24 July when Macron announced France’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September – an initiative since supported by the United Kingdom, and Canada among others.

“You have the opportunity to lead a coalition of willing European states. This is a moment for leadership – and for urgency,” they said, going on to highlight the Israeli parliament’s recent vote in favour of annexing the West Bank, which passed by 71 votes to 13.

The pair also criticised what they see as “double standards” within the European Union, noting that while 18 rounds of sanctions have been imposed on Russia, none have targeted Israel.

Yet, they argue, sanctions on Israel would likely prove “immediately effective” due to the country's geographic and economic vulnerability.

“Mr President, don’t mistake diplomatic fanfare for facts on the ground. Since your announcement on 24 July, the diplomatic landscape may have shifted – but conditions in Gaza remain unchanged,” they warned. “The promise of recognition has never put food on anyone’s plate.”

Barnavi served as Israel’s ambassador to France from 2000 to 2002. Lemire is a professor of history at the University of Paris-Est Gustave-Eiffel and formerly headed the French Research Centre in Jerusalem, from 2019 to August 2023.

DAUBING IS NOT VIOLENT

Israeli airline's Paris offices daubed with red paint, slogans

Paris (AFP) – Red paint and slogans were daubed at the entry to the offices of national Israeli airline El Al in Paris, with Israel Thursday urging French authorities to take action over the "barbaric act".


Issued on: 08/08/2025 -

The offices were daubed with red paint © STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP



Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans and inscriptions, including "Free Palestine" and "El Al Genocide Airline", were written on the entrance which, along with the pavement, was also daubed with red paint overnight Wednesday to Thursday.

"I condemn the barbaric and violent act against El Al and expect the law enforcement authorities in France to locate the criminals and take strong action against them," Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev wrote on X.

The act was the result of announcements by President Emmanuel Macron that "make gifts to" Palestinian militant group Hamas, she added -- an apparent reference to his announcement last month that France plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

Israel's ambassador to France Joshua Zarka, visiting the scene, described the vandalism as an "act of terrorism" that aims to "terrorise El Al employees, terrorise Israeli citizens, scare them and try to make them feel that they are not welcome."

According to El Al, quoted by Israeli TV channel N12, "the incident occurred while the building was empty and there was no danger to the company's employees.

"El Al proudly displays the Israeli flag on the tail of its aircraft and condemns all forms of violence, particularly those based on anti-Semitism," the national airline added.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot condemned the "acts of vandalism" on X, saying that "acts of hatred and antisemitism have no place" in France.

Authorities have opened an investigation into acts of property damage committed on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or religion, Paris's public prosecutor's office told AFP.

In early June, several Jewish sites in Paris were sprayed with green paint. Three Serbs were charged and placed under arrest and are suspected by investigators of having acted to serve the interests of a foreign power, possibly Russia.

The October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel that sparked the war between Israel and Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Out of 251 hostages seized during Hamas's attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,258 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry which are considered reliable by the United Nations.

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