The French Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it will summon "Israel's" ambassador to France following an incident involving the detention of French consulate employees by Israeli police at a French-owned church compound in occupied al-Quds.

The ministry condemned the incident, describing the actions as "unacceptable" and calling for immediate clarification.

Earlier in the day, two Israeli police officers reportedly entered the compound without permission and briefly detained two French gendarmes employed by the French Consulate General despite their diplomatic status.

The compound had been prepared for a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who subsequently canceled the trip in response to the incident.

French authorities expressed particular concern over the timing of the incident, as France is actively working to de-escalate tensions in the region.

"As the Minister [Barrot] has stated, these actions are 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 stated.

It added that the Israeli ambassador will be summoned to address these actions in the coming days.

La police israélienne arrête 2 gendarmes français dans le domaine de l’Eleona, propriété française à Jérusalem-Est. Les gendarmes avaient demandé aux policiers de ne pas entrer dans ce lieu, avant la visite prévue du MAE ⁦@jnbarrot⁩ pic.twitter.com/597vz2Manv

— Sami Boukhelifa (@sambklf) November 7, 2024

Growing diplomatic tensions

This comes in light of heightened diplomatic tensions between France and "Israel," which have intensified following French President Emmanuel Macron's recent call to halt arms shipments to "Israel".

Macron stressed the importance of ending arms exports to "Israel" to prevent further escalation, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called the embargo proposals by Western leaders "shameful."

Read more: France strongly condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Macron says

France has also been pressuring "Israel" to cease its aggression on Lebanon. During a phone call with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in mid-October, Macron expressed grave concern over the intensity of "Israel's" strikes on Lebanon and their "dramatic" impact on civilians.

He emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and reaffirmed France's unwavering commitment to the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security, in accordance with UN Resolution 1701.

The Resolution was reached in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon and calls for the full cessation of hostilities and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to Southern Lebanon, as well as the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line buffer zone [between Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories] and the Litani River.

"Israel" completely disregarded the resolution in the aftermath of the war, continuously violating Lebanese sovereignty with overflights from its aircraft.

The French president urged all political parties in Lebanon to come together in "this critical moment" to elect a president who would serve as a "guarantor of national unity."