Israeli orchestra visit sparks controversy in France over Gaza

A French union criticised a visit to Paris by Israel's top orchestra because of Israel's "crimes" in Gaza, as French Culture Minister Rachida Dati on Tuesday dismissed anti-war opposition.

The union, CGT Spectacle, representing workers in France's entertainment sector, on October 29 criticised the concert the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is scheduled to give in Paris on Thursday, without calling for a boycott.

"The Paris Philharmonic Hall cannot host the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra without reminding the public of the extremely serious accusations weighing on the leaders of that country (Israel) or the nature of the crime committed in Gaza," the union said.

It added that it viewed the concert as an attempt to bring about the "normalisation" of Israel in international settings.

On Monday, the Paris Philharmonic Hall issued a statement saying it hoped the Israeli concert would take place "in the best possible conditions".

It noted that it never demanded visiting musicians to "take a position... on the issue of ongoing conflicts or on sensitive political stakes".

Meanwhile, Dati wrote on X: "Welcome to Israel's national orchestra."

"Nothing justifies a boycott call for this moment of culture, sharing and communication. Freedom of creation and programming is a value of our republic. (There is) no pretext for antisemitism," she said.

Dati, a centre-right politician in President Emmanuel Macron's government, is currently under a legal cloud, having been ordered to stand trial on charges of corruption and influence-peddling.

Israel has come under intense international criticism for its military offensive in Gaza and its restrictions on aid getting to the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli actions were conducted in retaliation for Hamas's October 2023 attacks in Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to Israeli figures.

Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza killed more than 68,500 people, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

UN investigators have reported that Israel committed genocide, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the target of an International Court of Justice arrest warrant to answer charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A truce, brokered by Israel's key ally the United States, currently reigns.