Is the French President losing his credibility not only inside France but also abroad ?

A year ago he was calling for an international coalition against Hamas and today he is urging to stop selling arms to Israel in its war against the terrorist group.

As the French president prepares to host an international conference on the crisis in Lebanon, his zig-zag approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is causing some to question his effectiveness as a regional mediator, writes Politico.eu

“Some officials around the president are very pro-Israeli, others are pro-Palestinian,” said a former French diplomat. “Often it felt like the president said the last thing that was said to him,” he said.

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron was quoted as saying during a meeting of the cabinet that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not “ disregard UN decisions” because “his country was created by a UN decision,’’ in a reference to  the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

He made this remarks in the wake of statements made by Israel criticizing UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres  for his anti-Israel bias  and amid a controversy around the reported firing of the Israeli army on Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon.

Macron’s comments, which were apparently leaked to the press by members of the government (the Foreign Minister confirmed them), sparked a heated debate with the Israeli Prime Minister who responded by issuing a statement sqying : “A reminder to the president of France: It was not the UN resolution that established the State of Israel, but rather the victory achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors — including from the Vichy regime in France.’’

The French President also triggered the ire of Yonathan Arfi, President of Crif, the umbrella representative body of French Jewish institutions who said the “remarks attributed to the President of the Republic, if confirmed, are both a historical and political error.’’  

Political figures also reacted, including MP Caroline Yadan, a member of Macron’s political party who represents the French abroad whose constituency includes Israel. As well as former Prime Minister Manuel Valls who said Macron ‘’does not understand Israel.’’

“A year ago, he (Macron) was calling for an international coalition against Hamas. And now, by equidistance between Hezbollah and Israel, he gives the impression of creating an international coalition against Israel”, he said.

The French president was also criticized for seeking appeasement with the Iranian regime and for not mentioning the haerful role played by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This was in addition to a call made by Macron on the eve of the first anniversary of the October 7 massacres and two days after Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles to Israel, to stop supplying arms to Israel ‘’used in Gaza.’’ A call reminiscent to the arms embargo to Israel decided on the eve of the Six Day war between Israel and Arab states in June 1967 by then President Charles de Gaulle who called the Jews a ‘’People sure of itself and domineering.’’

Last week, it was reported that France decided to ban Israeli companies from the Euronaval trade show that kicks off in early November. Reacting to the decision, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant labeled Macron “a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world” in a statement on social media.

“The decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France a second time  aids Israel’s enemies during war,” Gallant said, referring to the French government’s decision in June to exclude Israeli firms from Eurostarory, one of the world’s biggest arms fair for the land armament. A court later overturned the decision, but too late for the Israeli firms to actually come.

On Thursday, at an EU summit meeting in Brussels, an angry Macron  lashed out at his ministers, saying they he had said “enough about the situation in the Middle East not to need a ventriloquist”. He insisted: “All this is proof of the breakdown of public debate, and of a lack of professionalism on the part of the ministers who repeated distorted statements, the journalists who picked them up, and the commentators who did not dwell on the reality and veracity of such statements.”

During a press conference, on the day of the announcement of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 massacres,  Macron praised the ”military success” and spoke of a “turning point”, calling  to “seize this opportunity” for “the war to be stopped at last.”  

After critics in France questioned whether Macron had been casting doubt on Israel’s right to exist, the president said that “there is no ambiguity” in the position of France.

He reiterated that France “demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas” in the Gaza Strip and pledged to work “with Israeli, Arab and American partners ‘ for a ‘’ceasefire in Gaza’’ and ’’to finally open up a credible political perspective for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.

Will these words appease the Jewish community ?

The mere mention of Macron’s  name was loudly booed at a ceremony organized by Crif in memory of the 7th October victims and in support of the hostages, including two Franco-Israelis, still held captives by Hamas.

A Jewish community that had already been upset by the absence of the French president at a march in Paris against the rise of antisemitism in November 2023.