France’s Macron slams Israeli minister’s backing of Marine Le Pen
Al Jazeera
Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli publicly supported far-right candidate Marine Le Pen before France’s parliamentary vote.
French President Emmanuel Macron has denounced “unacceptable” comments made by an Israel minister who publicly promoted far-right candidate Marine Le Pen before France’s parliamentary elections.
Israeli news outlets reported Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said the National Rally party leader would be “excellent for Israel”.
An angry Macron called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to complain about the comments.
“I think I and Netanyahu are of the same opinion. It’s not a personal matter,” Chilkli was quoted as saying.
Support for Le Pen is based on her positions on Hamas, the International Criminal Court – where Israeli leaders face accusations of war crimes – and “the Jewish community’s fight against anti-Semitism”, said Chilkli.