Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned down a request by French President Emmanuel Macron to visit the Jewish state, a former French lawmaker told Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster Wednesday.
“Macron sent a message to Netanyahu saying that he wanted to visit, but Netanyahu replied that, under the current conditions, this is not the right time to visit,” Habib, who served as a member of the French National Assembly between 2013 and 2024, told the channel.
The Hebrew news report cited an Israeli official as saying that the prime minister offered to approve the visit if Macron called off his initiative to recognize a Palestinian state, but that the French president refused.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added: “We will not allow Macron to dance at all the weddings,” a Hebrew expression meaning to play both sides or pursue opposing agendas.
Netanyahu wrote a letter to Macron last month in which he accused the French president of contributing to antisemitism by calling for global recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations this month.
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other governments have followed Paris in announcing their plans to recognize “Palestine,” with London stating that its intentions could be changed if Israel meets certain demands.
Macron’s office rejected Netanyahu’s accusation as “abject” and “erroneous,” warning that the letter would “not go unanswered.”
