T. Belman. It really bothers me when Bibi entertains the foreign interference that he is exposed to. If Macron can speak “bluntly” so can Bibi. He should tell him to butt out on internal questions like judicial reform and annexation. By entertaining their criticism, he is keeping their influence alive.. He should say that annexation is Israel’s business, not Macron’s.
And he should tell the US the same thing.
French president tells visiting PM that Jerusalem is moving away from ‘common conception of democracy’; Netanyahu says he must give coalition something on settlements
Today,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and France’s President Emmanuel Macron (R) prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on February 2, 2023. (Ludovic Marin/AFP)
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday night that if there are not changes to his government’s far-reaching plans to overhaul the judicial system, “Paris should conclude that Israel has emerged from a common conception of democracy,” an official with knowledge of the conversation confirmed.
Macron’s remarks, which were not included in the French readout of the meeting at the Elysee Palace, were first reported by Le Monde. An official updated on the details of meeting confirmed the report to The Times of Israel.
At the meeting, Macron “expressed bluntly” that the proposed judicial shakeup table “threatens to break the power of the Supreme Court, the only institutional counter-power in the government.”
The French president also said the proposal “opens a crisis unprecedented since the birth of the state in 1948.”
According to a different official with knowledge of the proceedings, Netanyahu responded that the Supreme Court was becoming too intrusive and weakening economic development. “Israel has gone from a state of law to a state of lawyers,” he said, adding that he wants to restore the balance between branches that exists in other democracies.
He also explained that it would take a Knesset “supermajority” to overturn rulings, according to the official, but did not explain further. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the content of a closed meeting.
The sit-down, the first between the two leaders since Netanyahu returned to power in late December, had all the trappings of a warm encounter, despite the harsh warning. After Netanyahu arrived, he and Macron embraced on the palace steps before waving to the cameras before heading for a two-hour-long dinner meeting with their advisors.
Netanyahu had five aides in the meeting, and Macron had eight.
Disagreement over Iranian red line
According to the Elysee, Macron blasted Iran’s “headlong rush” to develop its nuclear program. Netanyahu meanwhile urged France to back enhanced sanctions against Iran and to increase deterrence against the Islamic Republic and its proxies during talks.
There was some disagreement between the two over what the West’s red line should be. Netanyahu urged a red line at 90% enrichment, while Macron said it should be weaponization of its nuclear program.
Both leaders agreed to work together to deter Iran, but did not speak about specific operations.
“France and Israel are drawing much closer in the way they see the Iran threat,” Netanyahu told Israeli journalists in a Friday briefing.
“Macron expressed his readiness to weigh sanctions on the IRGC,” he continued, stressing that they spoke about “concrete matters.”
“The worry is shared,” said Netanyahu, adding that he found much more understanding and willingness to act in Europe and the US than in the past.
Military ‘things’ to Ukraine
On Ukraine, Netanyahu expressed a willingness to send “military things” to Kyiv, according to an official with knowledge of the conversation. At the same time, he underscored that he could not go too far without provoking Russia.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the conversation.
In the briefing with journalists, Netanyahu would say only that “I explained our policies. He knows the issue well.”
Netanyahu did not speak about Foreign Minister Eli Cohen’s upcoming trip to Kyiv.
He told Macron that “it is too early to think about mediation,” He explained that he would not push his role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine until Russia, Ukraine and the US asked him to do.
No annexation
Not surprisingly, the two discussed tensions between Israel and the Palestinians at length.
Netanyahu pledged to the French president that there “will be no annexation,” according to the official.
The prime minister said he must give something to his coalition in terms of settlements, but that it would be “much less” than coalition partners Itamar Ben Gvir and Beztalel Smotrich desire.
MK Itamar Ben Gvir (R) and MK Bezalel Smotrich (L) at an election campaign event in Sderot, October 26, 2022 (Flash90)<
Macron also pressed Netanyahu on rising violence between Israel and the Palestinians, urging Israel to avoid “any measures that could fuel the spiral of violence,” the palace said.
The French president also delivered a warning on Netanyahu’s attempts to widen the Abraham Accords. “If you continue what you are doing in Palestine, it will be difficult for Saudi Arabia to accept an agreement with you,” Macron said.
Macron called Netanyahu on Monday to express condolences over a deadly terror attack that killed seven Israelis and injured three in Jerusalem on Friday. The two decided on the visit during the conversation.
They last met in Jerusalem in January 2020.
“Ambassador to France’s request to attend Netanyahu’s reception denied”
Feb 3, 2023
Arutz Sheva
“Israel’s Ambassador to France, Yael German, twice offered to come to the reception of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the airport in France, and was refused, Kan 11 News reported on Thursday.”
The Prime Minister’s office said that German resigned about a month ago and that she “does not represent the State of Israel”. German responded in a tweet in which she wrote, among other things, “I don’t have respect for a Prime Minister who has three indictments, but I do have respect for my beloved country.”
—
“Yael German
Former Minister of Health of Israel”
“Yael German is an Israeli politician and diplomat who served as a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid and the Blue and White alliance between 2013 and 2020. She was Minister of Health between 2013 and 2014 and mayor of Herzliya between 1998 and 2013.” Wikipedia
Born: 1947 (age 75 years), Haifa, Israel
Party: Yesh Atid
Previous offices: Minister of Health of Israel (2013–2014), Mayor of Herzliya (1998–2013)
Education: Tel Aviv University, Reichman University”
😀
😀 nice twist.
Chutzpah!
Macron believes he is a Jew!
Shameful to blackmail a democracy into submitting to leftist theology!
Ingerence into the “affairs” of another country is INTOLERABLE!
“The investors, some of whom are already active in Israel, expressed interest in increasing their investments; others expressed great interest in entering the Israeli market, mainly in infrastructure. None of the participants related to the judicial reform.
Prime Minister Netanyahu commented that “In the end, people will see that it pays to invest in Israel. The talk of people withdrawing investments is nonsense.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/
What’s France doing for Israel? What does France have the power to do to Israel? Nothing and nothing. Why should Israel care what France thinks?
Also, Bibi isn’t pandering as much as some here would like to think. He really believes some of this stuff. He’s always boasting about how many Arabs are participating in Israel at high levels. Fine, he’s entitled to his opinion, but it’s not Zionism.
Netanyahu grovels and distances himself from his own government. He says he has to give them something, but less than they want. Based on this alone, I’d fire Netanyahu. But he’s Israel’s smartest diplomat. I have the solution, but it will take time. Israel needs a leader who is as smart and sophisticated as Netanyahu. The best future diplomats should spend years studying in the USA. Then they will impress international audiences with their perfect English and understanding of Western culture. But these future diplomats should be recruited from nationalists, not Uncle Toms. Also, there is a tendency of religious nationalists to exclude or discriminate against secular Jews. This should be fixed. The ideal future leader would be a nationalist who includes all Zionist Jews, religious or not. The snobbery of religious Jews is a major weakness of Israel and the Jewish nation as a whole. They keep forgetting who actually founded modern Israel. It wasn’t them.
TED-
NO…! I If he PM tells Macron (and other leaders) to “butt out”, there will be an International “freeze’. What he’s doing is the best, politically and economically . He is accepting them , nodding etc and then back in Israel, quietly ignoring them. It depends on the total government .
Of course we don’t know what he and Macron really discussed whether as the “scare” headline indicates, or in an “equal to equal” manner..
He HAS to -at last-, do what the govt was voted in to do, and at least carry out many of the coalition agreed issues, publicly stated ..
while I agree with your sentiment100%, I do think a statesman like Bibi should have used this golden opportunity to educate Macron, explain his position and maybe, after so many years, fix the friendship.
BiBi needs to stop the appeasement and tell others who want to tell Israel what to do and act to go to hell.