Israel-France tensions deepen as Paris says consulate staff briefly detained by police in Jerusalem
CNN
France condemned the brief detention of two consulate members after it said Israeli police forced their way into a French-owned holy site in Jerusalem, in what is the latest diplomatic spat in a series of events that have sent relations between the two plummeting.
France condemned the brief detention of two consulate members after it said Israeli police forced their way into a French-owned holy site in Jerusalem, in what is the latest diplomatic spat in a series of events that have sent relations between the two plummeting. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was due to visit the French-owned Eleona church compound, which houses a sanctuary, on Thursday when the incident occurred. Armed Israeli officers entered the site without authorization, France’s Foreign Ministry said, arresting the two consulate staff members “despite the fact that they are officials with diplomatic status” and prompting Barrot to abandon his visit. The employees were later released following the intervention of the minister, France’s Foreign Ministry statement said. In a separate statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said an argument arose between Israeli security forces and two French security guards “who refused to identify themselves.” “The two were detained by the police and released immediately after identifying themselves as diplomats,” it said, adding that the Israeli security officers were accompanying the foreign minister on his official visit.
If his first term in the White House is any indication, President-elect Donald Trump is likely to keep the Middle East high on his agenda.
Rights groups say journalist Reza Valizadeh has been detained, amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
A female student stripped to her underwear outside her university in Iran in what some student and rights groups say was a protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code.
Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN, as US officials visited the Middle East for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Follow live updates.