Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich shunned by French ministers and Jewish leaders

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich was shunned by French officials and Jewish leaders during a two-day trip to Paris on Tuesday.

The officials and leaders reportedly refused to meet with Smotrich due to his extreme-right ideology and previous incendiary statements.   

Smotrich, who is leader of the far-right Religious Zionism Party, was in Paris for an annual two-day ministerial summit hosted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Smotrich’s office reached out to multiple high-profile French ministerial counterparts for meetings, but was turned down, according to Israeli media, in what is an unusual snub for senior Israeli ministers. He was similarly rebuffed in his overtures to Jewish leaders.

Smotrich posted a photo of the meeting to Twitter, but none of his French counterparts or leaders of France’s three main Jewish community organisations were present at the meeting. 

לאחר מכן נפגשתי עם אנשי עסקים ומשקיעים בלשכת המסחר ישראל-צרפת לדיון על חיזוק הקשרים הכלכליים בין המדינות ועל הגדלת הסחר ההדדי. דיברנו על חסמי הסחר והיבוא ועל המאבק ביוקר המחיה בישראל. יש פוטנציאל אדיר ונעבוד קשה בעזרת השם כדי לממש אותו. pic.twitter.com/ytxTGj90cq

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) June 6, 2023

Israeli media later reported that the decision to snub the extremist minister was a joint agreement between the French government and Jewish leaders made prior to Smotrich’s arrival. 

The shunning of Smotrich relates to his last visit to France in March of this year, during which he delivered a speech in the Elysee Palace, described by Le Monde as an “anti-Palestinian diatribe”, in which he claimed that the Palestinian people did not exist. 

His remarks were condemned by the French government by mainstream Jewish leaders.  Earlier this year, Smotrich also called for the Palestinian town of Huwara to be "wiped out". 

“His [previous] visit embarrassed the Jewish community, which strongly supports Israel but is … against meetings with Smotrich and members of his extreme right-wing party,” a senior member of the French Jewish community told Israeli media.

The incident comes as the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is planning to expand settlement in the West Bank and has stepped up deadly raids on Palestinian towns and cities since coming to power, faces increasing global scrutiny.

The far-right ideology of its members is seen as out of sync with leading Jewish supporters of Israel, as well as  many of its Western allies.