During a visit to Jerusalem on Thursday, November 7, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was confronted with an incident in line with the complexities of Franco-Israeli relations. After talking with the new Defense Minister Israel Katz – who until Tuesday had been foreign minister – and with Ron Dermer, adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Barrot was scheduled to visit one of the four domains on the Mount of Olives that France is custodian of in Jerusalem: the Eleona Shrine, home to the Church of the Pater Noster. It is home to Carmelite nuns and offers a magnificent view of the old city.

But the situation deteriorated even before Barrot arrived at the Eleona. A large number of Israeli police burst into the sanctuary, where they attacked two French gendarmes, usually based at the French consulate in Jerusalem, who had come to secure the site for the occasion. Once on site, the French foreign minister refused to enter the Eleona, pointing out that it is "a compound that has belonged to France for over one hundred and fifty years, and whose security and upkeep France takes great care to ensure".

Outraged, Barrot said: "I'm not going to enter the compound, because the Israeli security forces entered it, carrying weapons, without first obtaining authorization from France. (...) I'm going to say it very firmly: These actions are unacceptable. This attack on the integrity of a domain placed under the responsibility of France is likely to weaken the bonds I have come to cultivate with Israel ."

The situation then got more tense between the Israeli police and the outnumbered two French gendarmes, who have diplomatic status. After some heated exchanges, the gendarmes were taken to a police station, from where they were released only in the evening, after the minister intervened, according to a press release by the foreign affairs ministry.

It is difficult to frame this diplomatic incident as the product of a simple misunderstanding. In a video filmed by a Radio France journalist, the police chief, speaking in French, told the gendarmes why they were arrested: "Because you prevented police officers from doing their job." He even threatened to use "force" if they opposed their arrest. Voices got louder: "Don't touch me!" shouted one of the gendarmes at one of the policemen, who grabbed his arm and pushed him out of the sanctuary. After being wrestled to the ground, the gendarme and one of his colleagues were placed into police vehicles.

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