Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has urged the French Jewish community to leave France and move to Israel amid widespread protests over the cost of living, as the Israeli government reportedly prepares a broader campaign to encourage Jewish immigration from the European country.
Ben-Gvir made the appeal during a conference for France's Jewish community in the central Israeli city of Netanya, attended by hundreds of supporters of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, according to a statement released late on Sunday.
"There are people in France today from various quarters who are seeking to harm Israel," Ben-Gvir claimed, without identifying the groups he was referring to or providing evidence for his allegations.
He urged the French government to reconsider its policies and its treatment of those allegedly seeking to expand their influence in the country.
"All of Europe must wake up, and the whole world must wake up," he declared, before addressing French Jews directly.
"Come home. Come back here. Be here. This is your home, and this is your homeland," he said.
Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel's police and prison system rather than immigration policy, has long been associated with anti-Palestinian extremism and has previously been convicted of incitement to racism and violence and supporting a banned Jewish extremist organisation.
He has also repeatedly advocated the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and called for the expulsion by force of Palestinians from Gaza.
His appeal comes just days before Israel's 27 October parliamentary elections, amid a campaign in which far-right politicians have increasingly promoted expansionist policies.
It also follows reports that Israeli ministers have been preparing to encourage a potentially significant increase in Jewish immigration from France.
According to Israeli media, Immigration and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer urged the government during a cabinet meeting on 6 October to prepare for potentially "massive" immigration from France.
"We need to remove the barriers in order to allow them to come here," Sofer reportedly told ministers.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also reportedly called for funding to help prospective immigrants, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed ministers to develop a joint plan.
The discussions suggest Ben-Gvir's latest appeal forms part of a wider Israeli government effort to capitalise on the unrest in France to encourage immigration, rather than an isolated response to the protests.
Israeli officials have also sought to link the demonstrations to concerns about antisemitism, although the protests themselves have primarily focused on economic hardship, education and public services.
France formally recognised the State of Palestine in September 2025 and joined other Western countries last month in announcing restrictions on trade involving products from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
France grapples with mass protests
France has experienced some of its worst civil unrest in years, following mass demonstrations on Saturday against rising living costs, fuel prices and deteriorating public services.
Around half a million people took to the streets, with students, trade unionists and members of the Yellow Vests movement among those protesting.
While many demonstrations were peaceful, clashes erupted in several cities, including Paris, where buildings and vehicles were set ablaze and shops looted.
More than 2,500 people were arrested over the weekend, while nearly 1,000 members of the security forces were injured, according to French authorities.
On Monday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for localised curfews after protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre Museum, warning that a state of emergency could be imposed if necessary.
President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged failures in the security response but blamed groups on the far left for the violence, while recognising the legitimacy of peaceful protesters' social demands.
Iran's foreign minister takes aim at Macron
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also seized on the protests to criticise Macron, accusing him of supporting the US-Israeli war against Iran while failing to listen to demonstrators in his own country.
"Mr. Macron brought this situation upon himself when he assured the US President that he welcomed crimes against Iranians," Araghchi wrote on X, according to IranWire.
"Now it is too late to blame the war that people like him helped unleash."
The Iranian minister then offered Macron advice on handling public discontent.
"The French people want fundamental changes, including the freedom of assembly. Mr. President, listen to the voice of France's future," he wrote.
The unrest in France has meanwhile spread to other European countries, with demonstrations and clashes reported in Belgium and Italy, while protests over housing and living costs continue in Spain and Portugal.