It’s a tale of two undiplomatic statements: one, right on the mark, by a senior Israeli diplomat; the other, badly misguided, by a senior Israeli minister.
First, the spot-on comment from Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, after he represented Israel in talks with the Lebanese government in Washington. France, which views itself as having a special responsibility for Lebanon because of its colonial ties, was not at the table.
Asked about it, Leiter bluntly said Israel doesn’t want the French anywhere near these negotiations.
“We’d like to keep the French as far away as possible from pretty much everything, but particularly when it comes to peace negotiations,” he said. “They’re not needed. They’re not a positive influence, particularly not in Lebanon.”
Ah, pity the poor French. Major developments are unfolding in a country Paris sees as within its sphere of influence, yet its voice is not being heard. A major international crisis is taking shape – and no one seems particularly interested in what France has to say.
Why not? Because France, in the eyes of Israel – and increasingly in the eyes of the US – has removed itself from the role of an honest broker.
Does Paris really believe Israel will now grant it a seat at the table after denying US military planes overflight rights en route to Israel? Does it seriously think that after condemning Israel for responding to Hezbollah’s rocket fire, Jerusalem would welcome French President Emmanuel Macron’s involvement? Do the French really believe Israel has so little self-respect?
Israel’s grievances with France are longstanding and extend beyond Lebanon. Last summer, Paris opened the floodgates for recognition of a Palestinian state, despite strong Israeli objections. In response, Israel threatened to close the French consulate in Jerusalem, but it never followed through – wary of how other European states, foremost among them Germany, would react.
Yet the resentment toward France has not dissipated. Quite the opposite: Frustration over what Jerusalem views as consistently biased – and, at times, hostile – French policies has only deepened. Leiter’s remarks gave voice to that sentiment.
Finance Minister lashes out at Germany
And then there is Germany.
On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has generally proven to be a friend of Israel, posted on X/Twitter that he was “deeply concerned about developments in the Palestinian territories” and said there must be no annexation in the West Bank.
His words infuriated Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who responded with a caustic rebuke. On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Germany’s chancellor should be apologizing rather than lecturing Israel, he wrote on X/Twitter. “The days when Germans dictated to Jews where they were permitted or forbidden to live are over,” Smotrich wrote. “You will not force us into ghettos again, certainly not in our own land.”
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor broke with the norm and chastised Smotrich for those remarks, unequivocally condemning them in a KAN Reshet Bet interview.
“There is a political debate all the time, but Merz is a great friend of Israel,” he said, adding that “Germany has proven – especially amid widespread criticism of Israel in Europe – that it is our No. 1 friend.”
That friendship was on display when Merz visited Jerusalem in December, one of the few European leaders to do so in many months. Despite criticism of Israeli operations in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, Berlin remains the key bulwark preventing a European consensus from sliding toward punitive measures or diplomatic ostracism.
Germany has opposed various sanctions proposals within the European Union, pushing back against efforts to delegitimize or isolate Israel – including attempts to bar Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, which Berlin blocked by saying it would withdraw if Israel were banned.
That role may become even more important now. Hungary’s new leadership may not be as supportive of Israel as it was under Viktor Orban’s leadership, while Italy, another ally, is shifting tone as elections approach next year, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appears to believe close ties with Israel are an electoral liability.
France claims to be a friend, but its actions belie that, which is why Leiter’s criticism rang true. Germany is a friend, and its actions reflect that, even when it voices criticism. That is why Smotrich’s comments were so far off the mark.