Israel has not rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for a trilateral summit over tensions in the North, a source in the Foreign Ministry said.
The source attacked Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for rejecting the plan and demonizing France, describing it as being a strong and steadfast ally of Israel.
“The French are very angry about this,” a second source in the ministry told The Jerusalem Post, explaining that they felt as if Gallant was “accusing them of antisemitism,” adding that this sense was coming from those close to Macron.
Gallant, the source charged, has usurped diplomatic roles reserved for the prime minister and the foreign minister, alongside his own. The Defense Minister had already riled those within the Likud Party last week, when he voted against the government’s draft law in the Knesset.
The idea of a trilateral process to find a diplomatic solution to the cross-border violence between the IDF and Hezbollah in Lebanon that would also involve the Lebanese government was raised when French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné visited Israel in April, the source said.
Israel is interested in the proposal but it is still in its early stages, the source added, explaining that the Lebanese government would also have to be involved and the US still has to formally accept it.
The first ministry source, who “disapproved” of Gallant’s remarks, said that “beyond the differences of opinion that exist between Israel and France, the statements against France are incorrect and out of place.”
In April, France was one of five countries whose armies took to the skies to protect Israel from Iranian missiles, the source emphasized.
France leads an “aggressive line in regards to sanctions against Iran and its missile and [armed drones initiatives] within the European Union,” the source explained.
Paris, the source said, was also involved in the decision of the “International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors to advance the sanctions process against Iran’s nuclear program.”
On top of that, the “authorities in France are actively fighting the scourge of antisemitism and protecting the Jewish communities within its country,” the source maintained, stressing that “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to fight to protect Israel's interests on the northern border against all relevant parties.
Diplomatic solutions to Hezbollah attacks
Tensions, however, have been high between Paris and Jerusalem since France, for the first time, banned Israeli defense companies from participating in the industry’s largest global arms exhibit, called the Eurosatory, which is set to be held in Paris on June 17-21.
Still, Macron on Thursday announced that the three countries had agreed to work together to find a diplomatic solution to the escalating violence, which, since October 7, has prevented scores of thousands of Israelis from living in their homes along the northern border.
“With the United States, we agreed on the principle of a trilateral [contact group] – Israel, the United States, and France – to advance on the road map that we proposed, and we will do the same with the Lebanese authorities,” Macron told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.
Gallant dismissed the initiative by issuing an unusual statement on Friday in which he said, “Israel will not be a party to the trilateral framework proposed by France.”
“As we fight a just war, defending our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel,” the defense minister stated.
“In doing so, France ignores the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli children, women, and men,” he said.
A French official said, “We were surprised to read diverging statements from Israeli authorities on France’s efforts towards de-escalation in the North.”
“We remain ready to work with all relevant actors, including Israel and the United States, to that end,” the official stated.
“France has shared Israel’s pain and grief since the October 7 barbaric terrorist attacks. Forty-six French nationals have been killed in these attacks, including two French hostages. Two French citizens are still being detained in Gaza. France calls once again on Hamas to release all remaining hostages and reaffirms its strong commitment to Israel’s security,” the official stressed.
Paris and Washington have, in recent months, worked to try to defuse tensions, with Paris submitting written proposals to both sides aimed at stopping worsening exchanges of fire on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
A senior French official said that there was an urgency for the US and France to step up their efforts, given the dangerous escalation.
France has a special relationship with Lebanon because it administered the country between World War I and World War II, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. US Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos J. Hochstein has also been pushing for a diplomatic resolution.
National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Adviser Ron Dermer are slated to travel to Washington next week to hold talks with top US officials regarding Iran and the war it is waging against Israel via its two proxy groups, Hamas and Hezbollah.
Amos Hochstein, the US Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security who has been leading diplomatic efforts with regard to ending IDF-Hezbollah violence, is reportedly set to visit on Monday according to a number of media reports.
Reuters contributed to this report