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Israeli envoy faces French rebuke over al-Quds church incident

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
12 Nov 2024 22:14

The dispute arose last Thursday when Israeli police stormed the Eleona Church on the Mount of Olives without authorization and detained two French guards.

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The flags of France, "Israel" and the European Union are pictured at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 (AP)

Israeli news outlets on Tuesday reported that "Israel's" Ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, will meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Paris for a formal reprimand following a diplomatic dispute involving Israeli police and French diplomatic staff at a "French-owned" church in occupied al-Quds.

The dispute arose last Thursday when Israeli police stormed the Eleona Church on the Mount of Olives without authorization and detained two French guards with diplomatic visas, sparking tensions.

The guards, employed by the French Consulate in occupied al-Quds, were detained during a scuffle just before Barrot's planned visit to the historic site.

This is crazy: Israeli police arrests 2 French military personnel ("gendarmes") with diplomatic status in a Christian church (the Eleona Church) that has officially belonged to France for 160 years and is protected by diplomatic immunity: pic.twitter.com/LjSkNJpaIs

To make things…
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) November 8, 2024

A statement from the French government condemned the Israeli forces' actions, stating, "without having been authorized to do so, Israeli security forces entered the site armed." Barrot ultimately canceled his visit, citing the unauthorized intervention as a primary reason.

"Israel's" Foreign Ministry later claimed that the guards were detained after refusing to identify themselves but were released once they presented their diplomatic credentials. However, French officials insist that the release only occurred after Barrot's direct intervention.

Strained relations

The incident took place just as France has been reportedly working to de-escalate regional tensions, adding to the diplomatic strain.

Lately, diplomatic tensions between France and "Israel" have intensified following French President Emmanuel Macron's recent call to halt arms shipments to "Israel".

Macron has called for an end to 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".

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.