Never openly expressed, the tension may be discreet, but it is very real. President Emmanuel Macron's stance on the war between Israel and Hamas has provoked irritation, not to say strong reservations, within the French diplomatic apparatus. While an "international humanitarian conference on Gaza" is being held at the Elysée on Thursday, November 9, where the French president was to display a form of balance between the warring factions, his handling of the conflict since the Hamas attacks on October 7 has caused real unease among some diplomats, who were under pressure for a week to organize the event.
Among the most critical are the staff of the North Africa and Middle East department, which is in closest contact with the countries of the region, and often dubbed the "Arab street" within the Quai d'Orsay, where the ministry is located. Their frustration is heightened by the fact that, internally, the conflict is fuelling the traditional rift with those who hold a very Atlanticist, pro-Israeli line. But the rebellion goes beyond this. Dozens of diplomats are worried about the free-of-nuance support for Israel. They fear a profound impact on France's image and security in the years to come and are calling for an immediate ceasefire. Some have even suggested writing a collective note to their minister, Catherine Colonna. Since October 7, Colonna has been dispatched twice to the region, then to the United Nations headquarters in New York, but has gone virtually unheard.
"We oppose what amounts to an alignment with Israel, but we have no way of making it known. It's absurd not to call for a ceasefire. A ceasefire is not a humanitarian truce," summed up one diplomat. "What's happening now will have a huge impact, for decades to come, on France's image and security. The winners will be Russia and Turkey. Everything is linked to the ceasefire issue: France is giving moral and political backing to Netanyahu in his waging of the war."
On the eve of the conference on Gaza, Macron and French officials still had a lot of work to do to convince people of the need for such an event at a time when Israel was still refusing to consider any idea of a ceasefire, or even a humanitarian pause, in the fighting in the Gaza Strip – which has claimed more than 10,300 lives according to the Hamas-controlled enclave's Ministry of Health. The list of participants was only finalized at the last minute.
Although none of them will be in Paris, Macron met on Tuesday with the Egyptian leader, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, theemir of Qatar, Tamim ben Hamad Al Thani, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Macron wants to achieve tangible results on Thursday, in the presence of some 80 countries and international organizations represented alongside the Palestinian Authority. Israel has not been invited but will be kept informed of the discussions. "The aim is to mobilize the entire international community to respond to the emergency," said the Elysée. The United Nations has put the needs of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank at nearly $1.2 billion.
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