France rejects ‘poison’ of antisemitism, top diplomat says in Israel

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday said his country rejected the “poison” of antisemitism, as he attended commemorations in Israel marking the third anniversary of Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack.

The unprecedented assault led by the Palestinian Islamist movement was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. It resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

“As our societies are confronted with the resurgence of uninhibited antisemitism, we will not allow this poison to spread within the Republic,” Barrot said at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where Hamas militants opened fire around dawn on Oct 7, 2023.

“Everything in France’s soul rejects antisemitism and hatred of others,” Barrot added.

The minister said the Oct 7 attack “wounded the Israeli people and all Jews to the core and left a trauma that must never be downplayed”.

“On that day, Hamas sought to kill the very possibility of coexistence; we will tirelessly continue to work for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.

Barrot also visited Tel Aviv, as well as kibbutz Beeri and Nir Oz, near the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, he recalled that “51 French nationals lost their lives” on Oct 7.

“We will never forget them,” he added in the post, accompanied by a list of victims’ names.

During their Oct 7 attack, militants also dragged 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead.

In response, Israel’s military launched a massive operation in Gaza that has killed more than 74,200 people, according to the territory’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Antisemitism is a highly senitive issue in France, which has Europe’s largest Jewish community.

Jordan Bardella, a leading figure in the far-right which is riding high in polls ahead of next year’s elections, recently came under fire over antisemitic comments he allegedly made as a teenager.

The US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, last year accused France of failing to address antisemitism triggered by the Gaza war, leading to a protest by France.

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