TBA News

By Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Al Menoufy

After France’s absolute support for Israel in its barbaric aggression against defenseless civilians in Palestine, the French stance and tone towards Israel changed. Following the October 7 , 2023 events, the French President Emmanuel Macron visited Israel on October 24, 2023, to declare Paris’s full solidarity with Tel Aviv. and he even called for the formation of an international coalition against Hamas, similar to the international coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Now in successive developments, Ofer Bronchtein, France’s envoy for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, who is born in the occupied Palestinian lands and who lived between france and Israel, shared new insights about Macron’s peace plan in an interview, which is his first since Macron declared his intention to recognize a Palestinian state nearly a week ago. 

He stated that France is prepared to send troops to Gaza to manage the distribution of humanitarian aid. “Quote me on behalf of the French president: If humanitarian aid does not enter because of Israeli fears of Hamas taking over, France is ready to deploy its army and French organizations, and possibly other European countries, to assist with the problem and distribute the aid ourselves,” Bronstein stated. 

Bronstein believes Macron’s declaration of a Palestinian state is aligned with Israel’s best interests and aims to bring about a permanent solution to end the conflict, and to neutralize relations with Saudi Arabia. 

A few days ago, upon his return from Egypt, Macron heavily criticized Israel’s bombing of civilians in Gaza, saying, “no justification” for Israel’s bombing of “these babies, these ladies, these old people” and he called on Israel to to stop attacks on Gaza saying: ““So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy. So we do urge Israel to stop”.

Perhaps the American arrogance toward Europeans in general and toward France in particular played a role in the shifting of French attitudes. American arrogance has reached Europeans in their own backyard in several instances.

The American interference in German interior affairs

JD Vance broke taboo by meeting with leader of Germany’s far-right party AfD leader Alice Weidel, and while addressing the Munich security conference, Vance admonished Europe’s leaders for refusing to work with their far-right parties.

The move shocked German political circles as the Trump administration appeared to be supporting some of the continent’s most toxic parties in opposition to the sitting governments in the UK, Germany and other major allies.

“I expressly reject what US Vice President Vance said at the Munich Security Conference,” said Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, in a post on X. “From the experience of National Socialism, the democratic parties in Germany have a common consensus: this is the firewall against extreme right-wing parties.”

The American Arrogance toward the French

“’Low-Level’ French Politician He Would Be ‘Speaking German’ Without US Sacrifices”, said the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, during a press briefing, which exposed the American arrogance toward the French. Those words came in response to statements by the french politician Raphael Glucksmann, who called on the US to “return the Statue of Liberty” because the country no longer represents “the values” for which France donated the statue to Washington.

The Statue of Liberty is a statue of an Egyptian peasant woman.

Ironically, the Statue of Liberty is a statue of an Egyptian peasant woman. It was intended to be a lighthouse for the Suez Canal. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, this statue would have been a source of pride for Egyptians of all social classes. It was a beacon in the form of an Egyptian peasant woman holding a high torch, with light shining from her head as ships from countless countries passed beneath it. This woman was viewed as the physical embodiment of Egypt. Although Khedive Ismail admired the design, the economic situation in Egypt at the time led to the project being canceled, and it was sent to the United States.

It can be argued that the shift in the French stances is due to France’s attempts to preserve its position as a major player in Europe, especially after the American arrogance toward Europeans in general and toward France in particular, as well as concerns about internal divisions and the outbreak of demonstrations and riots. Macron’s shift in position may also have been due to the enormous pressure exerted by some diplomatic missions and members of parliament, and warnings from some French institutions that the tension and division prevailing in French society could lead to an explosion in France, especially in immigrant neighborhoods, the majority of which are Arab and Muslim. On the other hand, some Israeli politicians believe that the absence of an Israeli ambassador in Paris for nearly nine months was one of the reasons for the shift in French public opinion toward Israel.