Tense situation in Jerusalem. The visit to the holy city of French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot was marked, this Thursday, November 7, by a diplomatic incident when the Israeli police entered “armed” and “without authorization”, according to the minister, on a site managed by France.
Jean-Noël Barrot denounced an “unacceptable situation” and refused to enter Eleona, a pilgrimage site, while Israeli police arrested two French gendarmes on site.
Earlier in the day, the French minister said he saw a “prospect” to stop the wars in Gaza and Lebanon after Donald Trump’s victory in the American presidential election.
During a statement following his meeting with the outgoing Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, Jean-Noël Barrot Barrot underlined Israel’s “right to defend itself”, but also the risk factors for its security such as “colonization” in the occupied West Bank, “restrictions on access to humanitarian aid” in the Gaza Strip and “continued bombings in North Gaza”, the scene of a military offensive since October 6.