Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Paris on the morning of Nov. 30 and left that evening. Rushing from one meeting to another, he barely had time to make a speech at the COP21 climate conference or hold bilateral talks there with French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the prime ministers of Australia, Japan and Poland. He spoke with US President Barack Obama briefly in the corridor as both men walked to the conference hall, but did not meet with any Arab leader, at least not officially. Israeli diplomats confirmed to Al-Monitor that Netanyahu requested no such meeting. Talking to Israeli correspondents, Netanyahu recounted that he shook hands with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and spoke briefly to some Arab leaders, but refrained from mentioning them by name.

The Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris created a new reality. In the hours and days following the attacks, the French leadership had to make up its mind which public events would be maintained and which to cancel. No one envisaged canceling the COP21 climate summit. Too much effort had been invested in organizing it; too many negotiations took place to prepare this international meeting; and too many leaders (147 in all) and journalists (more than 3,000) were about to arrive. Obama and Putin were coming, as was Chinese President Xi Jinping. The climate change conference became, at least partially, a vote of confidence in France's ability to guarantee the safety of all the summit's participants.

Netanyahu's attendance was hardly motivated by interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing the use of renewable energy. Obama had decided several months earlier that he would take part in the climate summit, and so did the kings of Jordan and Morocco. Putin's decision to arrive was announced on Nov. 8. But the public confirmation of Netanyahu's participation came about a week before the opening day. Israeli diplomatic sources confirm to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the presence of so many heads of state on the backdrop of the Paris attacks either prompted this last-minute decision or tilted the balance toward it.

The prime minister's brief presence was reminiscent of his participation in the historic march in Paris following the January attacks on Charlie Hebdo and Hypercacher. That decision, too, was made at the very last moment. Sources at the Elysée said at the time that Netanyahu informed them of his arrival after the announcement that Abbas was coming to Paris. The Elysée was lukewarm about this visit and viewed Netanyahu's decision to show up uninvited almost as a provocation. The French presidency would have preferred to leave the Israeli-Palestinian conflict out of the march.