Israelis with French citizenship living in Judea and Samaria were dismayed when they recently received letters from the French government describing them as living in “the Palestinian territories.”
Israelis with French citizenship living in Judea and Samaria were dismayed when they recently received letters from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the French presidential elections, which described them as living in “the Palestinian territories,” instead of Israel.
The areas they live in are not considered “Palestinian territories” under any acknowledged agreement, treaty or any international recognition.
Israel’s Channel 2 reported that hundreds of Israelis received the offensive and politically charged official notices.
The report said that several of them decided to boycott the elections due to their anger over the letter.
French Jewish Member of Parliament Meyer Habib, who represents Israelis with French citizenship, wrote a letter of complaint to French President Francois Hollande and presidential candidate Emanuel Macron over the matter, calling the letters’ wording “a demeaning provocation.”
“Beyond the political and legal debate, the French Foreign Ministry’s deliberate choice to present Israeli communities under the title of ‘Palestinian territories’ constitutes a demeaning provocation to French citizens living in Israel,” Habib said.
“To be effective, our foreign ministry must be connected to reality,” he charged. “Being connected to reality means recognizing our mutual enemy – radical Islam. Being connected to reality means ensuring that Jerusalem stays Israel’s unified capital. Being connected to reality means hearing President Donald Trump stating his intention for move the US embassy to Jerusalem.”
He concluded his letter by demanding the embassy address its letters with “Israel.”
By: United with Israel Staff