Skip to main content

Israel summons French ambassador over Le Drian's 'apartheid' remarks

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s comments were “far from the reality."
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel summoned the French ambassador on Thursday in protest over French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s statement that the Jewish state’s policies toward the Palestinians risked a “long-lasting apartheid.” 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told Ambassador Eric Danon that Le Drian’s comments were “unacceptable, baseless, far from the reality and Israel rejects them out of hand.”

“Israel expects its friends to not express themselves in an irresponsible way,” the statement read, according to The Times of Israel. Ashkenazi called Le Drian’s comments “in effect a prize to extremist elements and terror organizations, first off the Hamas terror organization.”

In an interview on Sunday, Le Drian was commenting on the violent clashes between Jews and Arabs living in Israel’s mixed cities. He said the prospect of a two-state solution “was starting to disappear” and that the “risk of apartheid is high” if Israel continues with its “single-state logic.”

“If in the future we had a solution other than the two-state solution, we would have the ingredients of long-lasting apartheid,” the French diplomat said. 

Israeli officials were quick to condemn the use of the term “apartheid.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Le Drian’s comments as “an insolent, false claim that has no basis,” adding that Israel will ”not tolerate any hypocritical and mendacious preaching of morality.” 

Apartheid is considered a crime against humanity under international law. The term was originally used to describe South Africa’s institutionalized segregation and oppression of black people by the country's white minority. 

In April, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of carrying out apartheid and persecution by enforcing an “overarching” policy to “maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians” living in occupied territory. The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the New York-based group’s 213-page report as a "propaganda pamphlet.”

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

Text Alerts - Be the first to get breaking news, exclusives, and PRO content.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial