Unease grows within France over President Macron’s comments on Israel

French President Macron's comments on Israel's existence spark unease in France, facing backlash from within and abroad.

French President Emmanuel Macron's comments that Israel owes its existence to a United Nations resolution have sparked unease in France, with the President given a furious rebuke by the upper house speaker but also facing disquiet from within his own ranks.

The remarks attributed to Mr. Macron during a cabinet meeting Tuesday (October 15, 2024) that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as they were created by the world body have angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But there has also been a strong reaction within France, home to Europe's largest Jewish community, with Jewish groups, political heavyweights and even Macron allies speaking out against the comments.

International Affairs are one of the few remaining areas where Macron, who on Thursday (October 17, 2024) attended an EU summit in Brussels, enjoys political leeway following this summer's legislative elections, which resulted in the centrist overseeing a distinctly right-wing government.

"It first of all shows an ignorance of the history of the birth of the State of Israel," Gerard Larcher, the right-wing speaker of the upper house Senate, told Europe 1 radio. "Questioning the existence of Israel touches on fundamental questions for me," he said.

"I was astounded that these remarks could be made," he added, arguing that the creation of Israel "did not come as a notarial act merely validated by the UN".

Mr. Larcher would take over the presidency if centrist Mr. Macron was incapacitated or suddenly resigned. He is a senior figure in the right-wing Republicans (LR) party, to which Prime Minister Michel Barnier also belongs.