JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said France had been hit by an “invasion of extremist Islam,” in provocative remarks criticizing the country after weekend protests over economic conditions degenerated into riots.
The remarks echoed the language of far-right politicians and commentators in the Western world who have made baseless claims that parts of Europe, such as Britain, have come under Islamic law due to immigration, drawing accusations of Islamophobia.
In an interview, the right-wing prime minister spoke of a failure of French leaders to prepare for the unrest, claiming it was fueled by extremist Muslims despite the diverse mix of French society who took to streets in major cities including the capital Paris.
“They did not prepare in time, they simply gave up. They succumbed to the invasion of extremist Islam,” Netanyahu said, according to the interpreter’s French translation on French-language channel i24News.
Asked what advice he would give to France, Netanyahu said: “Fight back, do not pursue a policy of appeasement — fight against the extremists,” without elaborating.
He added that he had told French President Emmanuel Macron after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that “if we do not eliminate them here, you will have them in Paris — and that is exactly what is happening,” without providing evidence.
France was one of a number of European countries that recognized Palestinian statehood last year, infuriating Israel.
US President Donald Trump also seized on the French protests to blame immigration, urging Europe and Macron to tighten borders.
“What’s happening in France has to do with immigration, not schools, not anything,” Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday. “It’s immigration, and I told President Emmanuel Macron, close up your borders.”
Trump made combating illegal immigration a central pledge of his 2024 campaign, at times relying on false claims that played on racial fears.
Netanyahu in August derisively called Britain an “Islamic republic,” drawing condemnation from London which called the remarks “completely unacceptable.”