JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israelis vented their anger on Thursday at French President Emmanuel Macron for his decision to recognize a Palestinian state later this year.

The anger was particularly acute among French Israelis, who called it a “slap in the face” and an “abandonment.”

In Sderot, a city just a few hundred yards from the Gaza border, David Brodey, a 75-year-old retired teacher, told AFP: “I feel betrayed, totally betrayed by the European countries. I hope that others do not follow Macron’s lead here.”

He called the move “totally unproductive for reaching any solution between us and the Palestinians.”

Ross Singer, 57, and a tour guide, said that while he hoped for “a better future” for the Palestinians, he worried recognition “may send the wrong message to the Palestinian leadership about the repercussions of October 7.”

Hadass Zakai, an occupational therapist, said the move was “more antisemitic… than supportive of Palestinians,” questioning why Macron was focused on Gaza and not other crises.

Macron’s move came amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with aid agencies warning of widespread hunger, and failed efforts to bring an end to the war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack and to free the hostages still held by the terror group.

Netanyahu and much of the Israeli right have long opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, insisting it would be a security threat and a haven for terrorists.

Since the Hamas onslaught in 2023, Jerusalem has also said that recognizing a Palestinian state now would incentivize further violence, acting as a reward for the rampage, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, of whom 50 are still held, including at least 28 who are confirmed dead.

French-Israeli political analyst Myriam Shermer said that “French Jews and French Israelis feel abandoned by Macron.”

“They feel punished by Macron, who multiplies his criticisms of Israel, whereas France, in their view, should have stood by Israel in the fight against Islamist terrorism,” she said.

Some French Israelis expressed fear for the impact on Jews in France, where there has been a rise in antisemitic incidents, including multiple synagogue arsons and the rape of a 12-year-old girl.

“This announcement will have no impact on our lives here but could have grave consequences for Jews in France,” said Ariel Kandel, head of Qualita, an organization that helps French Jews immigrate to Israel.

“We are worried, this announcement puts our brothers in France in danger and could encourage antisemitism,” he said.

Around 50,000 French Jews have moved to Israel in the past 10 years.

Israeli politicians were forthright in their condemnation of the French decision.

Lawmaker Dan Illouz denounced it as “a gift to the terrorists of October 7, a day on which French citizens were also killed.”

Illouz, who is a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, co-sponsored a symbolic motion adopted by the Knesset on Wednesday urging the government to impose sovereignty over the West Bank.

“Macron is following the Vichy path by collaborating with the new Nazis of Gaza,” he said, referring to France’s World War II-era puppet regime.

The decision also drew criticism from the center of Israeli politics.

“Recognizing an imaginary Palestinian state, without defined borders or a government, amounts to a message of support to Hamas,” said Karine Dana, the head of Francophone outreach for the opposition Yesh Atid party.

“It is the abandonment of the hostages held in inhumane conditions in Hamas tunnels and the memory of the victims of October 7,” she added.

Pierre Lurcat, a legal expert and author, called Macron’s announcement “a slap in the face to the victims of October 7 and the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.”

“France is decisively positioning itself at the forefront of the anti-Israel camp by seeking to create a fantasy ‘Palestine,'” Lurcat added.

David Chaouat, a tour guide and author of a book on the Jewish people, said: “The difference between Macron and Israel in the face of terrorism is that Israel, when we get slapped, we don’t turn the other cheek.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.