Israel Violates French Church Sovereignty and Diplomatic Laws and Norms in Jerusalem, Angering France

A diplomatic incident in Jerusalem is threatening relations between Israel and one of its Western allies, France.

The incident occurred on November 7, 2024, when armed Israeli police forcibly entered the courtyard of a historic French-owned church and arrested two French consulate staff members who have diplomatic immunity. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was due to visit the compound of the Church of the Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives when the incident occurred; however, he abandoned the visit. Soon after, Israel released the detained employees.

Israeli police entered the site carrying weapons without authorization, France’s foreign ministry said, and thus, Barrot chose not to visit the compound.1

According to the ministry, the French staff members were released following an intervention by Barrot.

France has accused Israel of negatively impacting their bilateral ties. Diplomatic relations between France and Israel are already tense due to Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in Gaza and Lebanon. France has a close historic relationship with Lebanon, which was a French colony from 1920 to 1943. Even long before that, dating back to the 17th century, France played a protective role over Catholics and Maronites in the country and established an extensive network of hundreds of schools that enrolled many of the Lebanese ruling elites.2

“This attack on the integrity of a domain placed under the responsibility of France is likely to weaken the bonds I have, in fact, come to cultivate with Israel at a time when we all need to make progress in the region on the road to peace,” Barrot told reporters in Jerusalem.3

“France condemns these actions all the more vigorously as they come at a time when it is doing everything it can to work towards de-escalating the violence in the region,” he added.4

Israel’s foreign ministry said that security personnel accompany all visiting foreign leaders, “a point that had been clarified in advance in the preparatory dialogue with the French Embassy in Israel.”5

Bernard Sabella, retired sociology professor and executive secretary of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches, explained that France has the right to supervise several monasteries and holy places in Jerusalem, including the church on the Mount of Olives and other monasteries, such as St. Anne’s Church, because they are French-owned sites.

“There was a clear political dimension in the Israeli action; one can’t ignore the backdrop of Macron’s statements about not selling weapons and preventing Israeli companies from participating in an arms exhibition in Paris,” Sabella told Jerusalem Story.6

Sabella believes that the confrontation that occurred disregards the established customs of accepting France’s supervision of the church, which always raises the French flag on its facade.

The confrontation does not give weight to the status quo, as it reflects Israel’s official point of view that everything that happens in Jerusalem is up to the Israeli government, without taking into account the established customs for decades or even the status quo,” Sabella said.

Yusef Daher, Jerusalem liaison office coordinator of the World Council of Churches, told Jerusalem Story that the incident that occurred was not the first of its kind, especially with the French. “Repeated attacks on the sanctity of civil or diplomatic sites reflect the policy of this state that no law other than Israeli law is respected and no procedure other than what serves the hegemony of this occupation occurs,” Daher said.7

With the current extremist nationalist government and especially with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the police force itself has been placed at the disposal of the right-wing party.8 Thus, there is no accountability, oversight, or respect for any norms.

Since French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the supply of weapons to Israel that have been used in Gaza, diplomatic ties between the two nations have worsened. France also tried to prevent Israeli weapons’ firms from presenting at a trade fair in Paris.

Moreover, Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s actions towards France. The ministry’s spokesperson, ambassador Sufyan Qudah, said that Jordan rejects all Israeli measures aimed at changing the identity and character of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, and changing the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.9

Jordan, whose Hashemite family is the custodian of Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem, strongly condemned the incident. The Jordanian foreign ministry revealed that what the Israelis are doing in Jerusalem is a clear violation of a long-held status quo agreement that has been in effect since the 19th century.

If Israeli authorities continue to cause such incidents, it is likely that tensions between Israel and France will escalate.