French President Emmanuel Macron is the direct type. As such, his address at the annual dinner for the French Jewish umbrella organization on Feb. 20 offered a clear and direct vision of his government’s battle against the recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks. But Macron went further, rejecting any attempts to negate Israel’s right to exist. He argued, "Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism. Behind the negation of Israel's existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews," His words pleased not only the Jewish French leaders who came to listen to their president, but also Israeli ambassador Aliza Bin Noun, who had been invited for the occasion.

Some French politicians went even further. Interviewed on Tuesday, parliament member Sylvain Maillard, Macron’s fellow party member, said, “Anti-Zionism must be punished the same way that anti-Semitism is punishable. It is crucial to say that what is forbidden is to deny the existence of Israel. … However, you obviously have the right to say you do not agree with the policy of the Israeli government. That is normal in a democracy."

The debate echoes the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s analysis of anti-Zionism. Israeli diplomats in Paris and other European capitals have changed course in recent months in their public diplomacy campaign. The battle against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is still a priority and so is explaining Israel's military actions on the Gaza border, but the issues of occupation and settlement have been gently pushed aside. The new game is now battling anti-Zionism.

Many Israeli diplomats admit privately that serving in Europe has become more difficult and demanding over the years. One who served in London a few years ago told Al-Monitor about the desperate campaign he and his colleagues conducted against a critical public opinion during the 2014 Gaza war. “Demonstrations against Israel became quite violent, with cries not only against Israel but also against Jews. Swastikas were painted on walls. Protesters were calling to eliminate the State of Israel. This was way beyond criticizing the Israeli government or the IDF. Still, any appearance of us, Israeli diplomats, on mainstream media outlets was a battle on its own. No one wanted to listen to us," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.