French and Israeli ministers feud over initiative to pay families of Palestinian detainees

Jean-Noel Barrot tells Gideon Saar there is 'an alternative' to Israel's devastating war on Gaza

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, left, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. EPA; Getty Images

Tensions between France and Israel have escalated, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot becoming involved in a social media spat with Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

Mr Barrot described as "grossly unfair" Mr Saar's claims that French President Emmanuel Macron disregarded long-standing Israeli grievances over Palestinian Authority programmes, including an initiative that gave allowances to families of Palestinians killed or detained by Israel.

The scheme ended on August 1 and an independent audit is set to verify that, Mr Barrot said. "We will hold the Palestinian Authority accountable of these commitments," he added.

Mr Saar dismissed the comments, claiming "the PA simply replaced the old system with a new one that continues transferring money to the same bank accounts of terrorists and terrorists’ families". He did not provide evidence to substantiate his accusation.

Relations between France and Israel have soured since Mr Macron announced his intention to recognise Palestinian statehood this month at the UN General Assembly. The UK, Canada and Australia are among a host of countries that have also pledged to recognise Palestine.

Mr Saar also accused the PA of failing to remove passages in textbooks that he said incites violence against Israel and Jews. "The only place it [incitement] does not exist is in the letters the PA sends to France (the same letters with the same commitments that [former Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat was sending 30 years ago)," he said.

Israeli campaign

The review of textbooks is "underway," Mr Barrot said. "There is an alternative to this endless war, and it is our responsibility as a permanent member of the UNSC [UN Security Council], with citizen and security interests in the region, to propose it," he added.

The French minister also highlighted commitments obtained by France at a conference in New York in July, when 17 countries, including Qatar and Brazil, endorsed the disarmament of Hamas and the creation of a stabilisation mission for postwar Gaza.

Mr Saar did not directly address these commitments. Instead, he accused France of "prolonging the war" by acting out of hostility to Israel. "The rest is empty words and illusions," he said.

Israel has rejected a French-led effort to recognise Palestine as a pathway to regional peace. In response, Israeli authorities have approved a settlement that would end the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused France of fuelling anti-Semitism, claims echoed by the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner. Mr Macron described such as remarks as a "weaponisation" of the fight against anti-Semitism.

The US blocked visas from Palestinian diplomats scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly. That move was rebuked this week by Mr Macron, who said he had spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and that they both called for the US to reverse its decision.

Israeli settlement plans put hopes for a two-state solution at serious risk. Getty images

US support for Israel has remained strong throughout the Gaza war, even as Israel calls up reservists ahead of a ground offensive on Gaza city. European and Arab countries have called repeatedly for a ceasefire.

Palestinian reforms

In a letter sent to France in June, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged deep reforms of the PA. Mr Abbas called for the demilitarisation of Hamas and spoke of PA reforms, including "revoking the law on payments to families of prisoners and martyrs and implementing a new social security system without discrimination".

The move is unpopular among Palestinians, with one senior Palestinian security official telling The National that it is viewed as an insult. Mr Abbas also referred to incitement against Palestinians in Israeli society and called for "international supervision over incitement and hate speech in statements, curriculums and in official media on both sides".

This request was endorsed at the New York conference, which "welcomed the ongoing efforts to modernise the Palestinian curriculum and called upon Israel to undertake a similar effort".