During an interview given Tuesday morning on the radio of the Israeli army Tsahal Galathe French ambassador to Israel, Frédéric Journès, delivered an alarming diagnosis on the situation of anti -Semitism in France. Asked about the security of Jews and Israelis in France, he declared immediately: “What I see in France and elsewhere in the world is appalling. The current situation is very serious and I do not minimize it.”
The ambassador mentioned a particularly shocking incident which illustrates the extent of the phenomenon: “I saw terrifying individuals cut olive trees planted in memory of the young Jew Ilan Halimi, murdered by monsters. There are terrible images in France and in other Western countries, we will need decades to return to our previous situation.”
This declaration echoes the many anti -Semitic acts identified in recent months in France, testifying to a worrying deterioration in the social climate.
Frédéric Journès directly attributes this resurgence to the conflict in Gaza: “The situation is very worrying, the war in Gaza has fueled it and allowed the real anti -Semites to use war convictions as a pretext to create a wave of anti -Semitism. This gives a pretext to use this anti -Semitism that exists everywhere.”
Faced with this escalation, the French authorities have intensified their protective efforts. “We take measures, increase the police, secure synagogues, kosher stores and community centers,” said the ambassador. The government also plans to tighten legal sanctions and the development of specific educational programs.
A recent event particularly marked French public opinion: a 47 -year -old Moroccan, in a legal situation, was arrested after being filmed lighting his cigarette with eternal flame under the Arc de Triomphe. This desecration of one of the most sacred monuments of the Republic, immortalized in a viral video, caused a national outcry and underlined the growing tensions around the questions of integration and respect for republican symbols.
