The difficult diplomatic relations between France and Israel have completely contaminated the match being played this Thursday night in Paris between the teams of both countries. Added to the political conflict, which the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, intends to reduce by going to the stadium, are the violent incidents that occurred a week ago in Amsterdam between Ajax and Maccabi fans, which were immediately branded in Tel Aviv as anti-Semitic attacks and which left more than 60 detainees. France fears that something similar could happen during the Nations League match, which has required the deployment of more than 4,000 police officers, and which will be played in a half-empty Stade de France. A completely unprecedented situation.
The 15,000 spectators who have been allowed to get tickets – for security reasons – will only fill less than a quarter of the capacity (80,000 seats). The police have classified the match (at 8:45 p.m., Spanish peninsular time) as high risk and that is why those 4,000 agents are going to be deployed, 1,200 guarding the stadium, and the security protocol, which has forced the merchants in the area to close at three in the afternoon. An extreme bunkerization that is only understood in an attempt to preserve the country’s image at all costs in this very sensitive issue.
The delegate minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, encouraged Israeli fans to attend the match without fear: “Israeli fans are welcome in Paris.” But according to the French media, there will be hardly any Israeli fans arriving from their country: between 100 and 150 have traveled, despite their Government’s recommendation that they not attend. Even so, the Israeli ambassador in France welcomed the shielding and considered the meeting safe.
The relationship between France and Israel is going through one of its worst moments in recent years. The invasion of Gaza and the war in Lebanon, unleashed after the attacks and kidnappings of October 7, 2023 by Hamas, have strained diplomatic relations to an unusual limit between both countries. The incidents in Amsterdam also made the French Government consider whether to hold this match to avoid adding more fuel to the fire. But France – with the largest Jewish community in Europe – has taken it as a fundamental issue to maintain its relations with Israel and avoid any accusations of anti-Semitism. “When you attack a Jew in France, you attack France, the Republic,” Haddad pointed out forcefully.
Not everyone in France, however, sees things in such a monolithic way, as a demonstration was called this Thursday afternoon in front of the Saint-Denis Town Hall, 1.5 kilometers from the stadium, to protest against the match. . The event is organized by La Francia Insumisa (LFI, radical left) and pro-Palestinian associations, under the motto “Don’t play with genocide/No to the France-Israel party.”
The conflict between both countries has been going on for some months now. Macron has been very harsh with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, when some of the organization’s headquarters in Lebanon were subject to Israeli attacks, he reminded him that Israel had been created by the UN. Ambassadors were called for consultations, a request was made to stop sending weapons to Israel, and Netanyahu spoke of the “disappointment” it caused him. But Macron tries to ensure that his political position regarding the war does not further cloud relations between both countries and, above all, the life of the Jewish community in France.
The conflicts between both countries have been reproduced every week. The Israeli ambassador, Joshua Zarka, was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry three days ago to be reprimanded for a serious incident that occurred last week in East Jerusalem, when Israeli security agents detained two gendarmes from the French consulate. The French police officers, who have diplomatic status and who were in plain clothes that day, were violently thrown to the ground and remained under arrest for about 20 minutes.
The match is also being held in the midst of controversy over the visit to Paris, the day before, of the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich. He was scheduled to participate on Wednesday in a gala event organized by Israel Forever, an organization considered close to the extreme right. Some political leaders on the left, as well as pro-Palestinian organizations, had been asking for its cancellation for days. But the police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, refused because there was “no imminent threat.” Finally, the pressure took effect and his spokesman announced that he would not go.
