French provocation in Israel: two security guards for a French minister were briefly arrested for obstructing the work of Israeli forces

A fierce diplomatic conflict between Israel and France erupted following an altercation between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Israeli security forces during a visit by the French official to the Jewish state and Palestinian-controlled territories in the West Bank.

When Barrot refused to allow Israeli security forces into the Eleona (Pater Noster) church on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, which officially belongs to France, the situation escalated into an argument and a scuffle between policemen and two of the French minister’s security guards, who were briefly detained.

France has accused Israel of violating its sovereignty, while Jerusalem said the French did not allow it to carry out basic security procedures.

The security guards refused to identify themselves

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that every minister of a foreign country who pays an official visit to Israel must be accompanied by security provided by the state, which follows their movements throughout their stay. He added that Israeli guards accompanied the French minister to protect him, and this had been previously clarified in talks with the French embassy in Israel.

The Israeli ministry said the altercation occurred after two French guards refused to identify themselves. Also adding that both were detained by police and immediately released after they identified themselves as diplomats.

France's version

The French Foreign Ministry maintained that Minister Barrot refused to enter the church with armed Israeli guards on site, calling the actions "unacceptable."

"France strongly condemns these actions, with particular emphasis on the fact they took place in a context whereby France is doing everything it can to work towards the de-escalation of violence in the region," the Ministry said. It also added that Israel's ambassador to France will be summoned to the Ministry in the coming days.

The usual hostility of the Macron government towards Israel

The French government, led by President Emmanuel Macron, has demonstrated its hostility toward Israel repeatedly in recent months.

Last June, the Eurosatory arms fair opened in Paris, France, without the presence of Israeli military industry companies. This was because of the ban imposed by the French government at the end of May due to the war in Gaza, a measure that was later overturned by the French judiciary.

During the month of September, Macron had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, during which he held the Israeli leader, and not the Lebanese terrorist group, responsible for the situation.

Last October, Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel as part of its war on several fronts against Iran-backed Islamic terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen, among others.

French President Emmanuel Macron also blackmailed Israel last October, when in a closed-door meeting with his cabinet he said that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "must not forget that his country was created by a UN decision. Therefore, he must not free himself from UN decisions," reported the French newspaper Le Parisien.

These statements were made in reference to the recent incidents that occurred in southern Lebanese territory, near the border with the Jewish state, in which posts of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), came under fire, despite the Jewish State's request for UN troops to withdraw five kilometers to the north to remain safe.

It should be noted that UNIFIL has never fulfilled its mission to keep Hezbollah away from southern Lebanon to prevent it from attacking Israel and that some of its members have even been bribed by the terrorist group to allow the use of its positions, which is why the Israeli army was forced to carry out a ground incursion into the Arab country to stop missile launches into Jewish State territory.