Macron: I Will Not Accept Israeli Interference in French Affairs

French President Emmanuel Macron considered that the statements of the Israeli Diaspora Minister, Amichai Shekli, regarding the general elections in France, amounted to “interference in the internal affairs” of his country.

The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" indicated that Macron expressed this during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a phone call conducted before the elections.

During the call, Macron warned against Chikli's statements, and said that they were "openly and explicitly aimed at supporting the far-right National Rally party", led by Marine Le Pen.

Macron described these statements as "unacceptable interference" in France's internal affairs.

Haaretz noted that Netanyahu "confirmed his commitment that his government ministers will not issue further statements regarding the internal affairs of France."

Subsequently, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, published, through his account on the X platform, a post in which he said that his country “does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.”

But despite this, Chikli continued his statements regarding the French elections even after Le Pen lost the second round of the elections to the hard-left.

An Israeli official who participated in communications between the two countries described Chikli's behavior as a "diplomatic bomb," and a number of other diplomats told Haaretz that the minister "harmed French-Israeli relations."

Chikli spoke in an interview on Monday with Army Radio about his support for French right-wing leader Le Pen, saying that “Macron threw the Jewish community under the bus.”