War between Israel and Hamas: Middle Eastern ambassadors concerned about France’s position in the conflict

The French diplomatic apparatus is no longer hiding its concern. Emmanuel Macron’s position in the war between Israel and Hamas is causing confusion and irritation among some diplomats. To the point that about ten of them, according to the Le Figaro newspaper, sent a joint note to the Quai d’Orsay and the Elysee Palace, in which they regretted the pro-Israeli turn of the head of state after the Hamas massacres in Israel on October 7.

According to former diplomats contacted by our colleagues, this is “an unprecedented collective approach on the part of French ambassadors in the Middle East” and in some Maghreb countries. In the note, these dissidents “confirm that our position in favor of Israel at the beginning of the crisis is misunderstood in the Middle East and that it contradicts our traditionally balanced position between Israelis and Palestinians,” the diplomat points out in the Figaro columns.

This position is leading to a “serious” crisis of confidence between France and the Middle East, which risks being “prolonged,” the note’s authors warn. And this has immediate consequences: since the beginning of the war, some French ambassadors no longer have access to the leadership circles in the countries where they are located. One of them has received death threats and everyone is worried about the loss of confidence in France. Several demonstrations took place in front of the French embassies in Tunis (Tunisia), Tehran (Iran) and Beirut (Lebanon).

“Confusion in the French Position”

Asked about the matter on Tuesday morning on France Inter, government spokesman Olivier Veran defended France’s “influence”, which it uses “wisely”. “Few heads of state are able to have direct contact with their most powerful colleagues to act in this conflict, bring together so many heads of state in their capital to determine humanitarian assistance (humanitarian conference for the Gaza Strip in Paris, editor’s note) and it has not changed since first day,” says Olivier Veran.

However, Emmanuel Macron appears to have heard the message. In an interview with the BBC last Friday, the president criticized Israeli strikes against civilians in Gaza with unprecedented force. A change in positioning that the rebels would welcome.

“He realized that he needed to recalibrate his speech,” Georges Malbrunot, a journalist for the newspaper Le Figaro, comments to CNews. This in the same timeHe is right today to be concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but this creates confusion in the French position. I feel like he’s going to lose from every angle. »