France has summoned the Israeli ambassador over the incident, the latest of several controversies involving the Eleona sanctuary on the Mount of Olives, which along with three other sites make up the French national domain in the Holy Land.
The sites have been the focus of diplomatic incidents in the past. The national domain was attributed to France before Israel’s creation in 1948 and is administered as a private property by the French consulate in Jerusalem.
According to an AFP journalist who witnessed the incident, Israeli police entered the site and surrounded the two French gendarmes before pushing one of them to the ground.
The gendarme identified himself and shouted “Don’t touch me” several times, according to the journalist. Both gendarmes were then led into police cars, before being later released.
If France pushes for full economic sanctions on Israel their economy will tank even further. The EU is Israels largest trading partner with 22% of their exports (second after US with 26%) and 31% on imports (US second with 13%).
If the EU uses that to pressure other nations like Turkey and Azerbaidschan it gets grim. Of course the US can throw them a permanent lifeline. At some 50-100 billion $ a year of economic aid on top of the military aid. I wonder how popular an “Israel support tax” of 500$ would be with the average American.
Or you know, Washington calls Paris and says: “Yeah, what if you didn’t do that and and then I wouldn’t have to fuck you over”
That could happen. Last time the US started a trade war with Europe it didnt go so well for them though. And as Trump is looking at another trade war with China, and maybe also going to war with Iran all sounds a bit too ambitious at once.
There would be no war, Europe is too much realpolitik to ever reject that request