Laure Foucher, a senior researcher on Israeli foreign policy at the Foundation for Strategic Research, an independent French think tank, analyzes the deterioration of relations between France and Israel in an interview with Le Monde. As France prepares to recognize the State of Palestine on Monday, September 22, at the United Nations – a move that has angered Israel – she notes that the antagonism goes well beyond the Palestinian question.

That does seem to be the case. The two countries have always had profound disagreements over the Middle East, and in particular, the Palestinian issue. Most of the time, they were put aside in favor of other matters that anchored the bilateral relationship – notably the Iranian nuclear issue, viewed as a strategic priority. Today, Israeli authorities continue to present themselves as the spearhead of the West in the Middle East, but in reality, the differences between France's and Israel's strategic interests, as redefined after the October 7 attack, have dramatically widened. Old disputes have not only intensified, but new ones have appeared, such as in Syria. At the same time, areas of shared interests like the Iranian nuclear file have been weakened.

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