Middle East: Former Israeli Ambassador to France Calls on Emmanuel Macron to Sanction His Country

Former Israeli ambassador to France Elie Barnavi and historian Vincent Lemire urged Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to impose sanctions against Israel, stressing the "absolute urgency" of such measures given the dire humanitarian situation of the Israeli population and hostages in Gaza.

"Mr. President, if immediate sanctions are not imposed on Israel, you will end up recognizing a cemetery. We must act now so that food and medical supplies can enter Gaza in large numbers," they wrote in an article published Tuesday in the French daily Le Monde .

"As you know, only immediate and concrete sanctions will have any impact on Israeli public opinion, and therefore on the Israeli government, to truly change the situation. To end the famine, for a permanent ceasefire, for the release of all hostages, for the protection of the Palestinians in the West Bank, to save Israel from itself," they continue.

They believe that "the excuse of the lack of European consensus no longer holds" while the French president created a "diplomatic momentum" on July 24 by announcing that France would recognize a State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, before being joined in particular by the United Kingdom and Canada.

"You can initiate and lead a coalition of the willing among European states. You must act now, because there is an absolute urgency," insist Élie Barnavi and Vincent Lemire, citing the call for annexation of the West Bank passed by the Israeli parliament on July 23, "by 71 votes to 13." They also deplore the "double standards" as the European Union has issued 18 sanctions packages against Russia and none against Israel. Yet, they argue, Israel's geographic isolation would make sanctions "immediately effective and noticeable, in every store in the country."

"Mr. President, do not confuse diplomatic noise with the reality on the ground. Since your announcement on July 24, everything has changed diplomatically, but nothing has changed in Gaza," they note: "The promise of recognition has never fed anyone." Élie Barnavi was Israel's ambassador to France between 2000 and 2002. Vincent Lemire is a professor of history at the University of Paris-Est Gustave-Eiffel and directed the French Research Center in Jerusalem from 2019 to August 2023.