Key facts
- Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka expressed a preference for any candidate over Jean-Luc Melenchon in the 2027 French presidential election.
- Zarka also stated he met with far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
- The ambassador's comments were described as "blatant foreign interference" by Manuel Bompard of La France Insoumise (LFI).
- Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, called the remarks "unacceptable interference".
- Nathalie Loiseau of the Horizons party deemed the comments "clear interference in our domestic political life" and "totally inappropriate".
Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, has been accused of "foreign interference" following remarks made during a television interview. Zarka stated that he would prefer "anyone rather than Jean-Luc Melenchon," the leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), to win the 2027 French presidential election. Melenchon's party is known for its strong support of Palestinian rights. Zarka also revealed that he had met with Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right National Rally, the previous month. These comments triggered immediate criticism from various political factions in France. Manuel Bompard, LFI's national coordinator, labeled the remarks as "blatant foreign interference" and called for a reaction from French authorities. Arnaud Le Gall, an LFI MP, stated that Zarka had breached diplomatic neutrality. Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, described the comments as "unacceptable interference," emphasizing that the French people would decide their own future. Even from the right, Nathalie Loiseau, a Member of the European Parliament for the Horizons party, called Zarka's statements "clear interference in our domestic political life" and "totally inappropriate" for a diplomat. Zarka defended his meeting with Le Pen by noting that the National Rally (formerly National Front) had changed from its past antisemitic tendencies.