Following reports that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is pushing for Israel to close France’s consulate in Jerusalem in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state, the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson says in a statement that Paris hasn’t received any official notice of such a move but warns against it.
“We have not received any official notification from the Israeli authorities regarding this step, which could seriously harm our bilateral relations and provoke a strong response,” reads the statement. An Israeli diplomat told The Times of Israel yesterday that Sa’ar is considering shuttering France’s consulate-general in Jerusalem after Macron announced that Paris will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Earlier today, Sa’ar revoked the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority in response to Canberra’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state and amid accusations that Australia is fostering antisemitism. France’s Jerusalem consulate — along with those of the UK, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden — predates the founding of Israel and operates without official accreditation to the state. These eight missions serve as their countries’ channels to the Palestinian Authority and handle a range of issues within Jerusalem. (Source)
