In an unprecedented initiative, a dozen French ambassadors in the Middle East and the Maghreb have signed a joint note, sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, in which they regret an overly favorable attitude towards Israel by President Emmanuel Macron in the current Gaza conflict.
In the document, revealed by the Le Figaro newspaper, diplomatic officials complain that Macron’s conduct since October 7 “is in breach with our traditionally balanced position between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The newspaper also cites – this time by name – three other former ambassadors to Arab countries and another active position at the Quai d’Orsay who are in solidarity with the spirit of the note. According to the latter, the signatories “have assumed their responsibilities” and the action “is a first stage”.
The text of the dissident ambassadors echoes “a loss of credibility and influence of France, and confirms the bad image of our country in the Arab world”, according to a source quoted by Le Figaro. Although with diplomatic smoothness, the ambassadors attribute this drift to the Elysee.
The warning note is the result of the ambassadors’ concern about the demonstrations that have been called in front of their legations and the fact that France is the object, although less than the United States and Great Britain, of the anger of the local populations.
“Sometimes we are accused of complicity in genocide”, pointed out a young diplomat assigned to the Middle East. An ambassador has even received death threats. Faced with previous crises, such as the publication of cartoons of Muhammad, this time it is feared that the anger towards France will go further and could be lasting. In these countries, Paris is accused of having betrayed its differentiated position in the past.
Both the presidency of the Republic and the ministry tried to minimize the note of disagreement, so they refused to comment on the details of some diplomatic offices which, by definition, are confidential and stressed that the direction of the foreign policy it is carried by the Head of State and the Government emerging from the ballot boxes. The spokesman for the Executive, Olivier Véran, reaffirmed in front of the microphones of France Inter the influence that France continues to have in the region. “Few heads of state are able to have direct contacts with their most influential counterparts to intervene in this conflict and to gather so many heads of state in their capital to discuss humanitarian aid” (alluding to a recent conference), emphasized Véran.
Macron’s statements of the last few days show a desire to correct the situation and preserve the balance, although in the end it gives a somewhat confusing picture. What he said to the BBC on Friday about the need for Israel to stop killing innocent civilians had a lot of impact. Hours later he had to call top Israeli leaders to qualify his words. According to Macron, he had no intention of accusing the Israeli army of intentionally killing civilians, but spoke of the collateral victims of the bombings.
The attitude of, at the head of a country with the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe, is not easy. Forty Frenchmen died in Hamas terrorist attacks, seven are believed to be hostages. The French president chose not to go to Sunday’s demonstration against anti-Semitism in Paris, an absence for which he was criticized.
The note from the disgruntled ambassadors can also be interpreted in the context of general unease among diplomats towards President Macron for the decision he took last year to phase out the two career diplomatic corps in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The philosophy of such a substantial reform is to put an end to the corporatist temptation and open the diplomatic career to people from other professional backgrounds, but the measure has been heavily criticized for the risk of weakening French diplomacy, which is very proud of its wide deployment in the world and the prestige of its staff.