Tuesday | Aug 26, 2025
In an escalating international dispute, Israel has launched a series of sharp diplomatic offensives against several of its traditional Western allies as they move closer to formally recognizing a Palestinian state next month. The latest clash underscores widening rifts between Jerusalem and European capitals that were once among Israel’s most reliable supporters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has increasingly framed the debate over Palestinian statehood in existential terms, sent two strongly worded letters this week to the leaders of France and Australia. In the letters, Netanyahu accused both governments of effectively legitimizing terrorism and fueling antisemitism with their decision to endorse Palestinian statehood.
According to excerpts obtained by CNN, the Israeli leader directly linked recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations and antisemitic incidents in Europe and Australia to what he described as “irresponsible” policy shifts in Paris and Canberra. Netanyahu argued that such recognition, coming amid an ongoing war in Gaza and without the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, would amount to rewarding extremist violence.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire,” Netanyahu wrote in a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, dated Tuesday. He charged that Macron’s position “is not diplomacy, it is appeasement,” insisting that recognition would embolden Hamas, prolong the hostage crisis, and intensify hostility toward Jewish communities in France.
The unusually acrimonious message drew a swift and pointed response from the Élysée Palace. French officials expressed irritation not only at the letter’s content but also at the way it became public. They noted that Macron first learned of the Israeli communication through media reports rather than through standard diplomatic channels, a breach of protocol that Paris interpreted as a deliberate provocation.
“France protects and will always protect its compatriots of the Jewish faith,” the Élysée said in a formal statement. “These times demand seriousness and responsibility, not confusion and manipulation.” The French presidency further emphasized that its position on Palestinian statehood was part of a broader effort to restart a credible peace process, not a move against Israel or its people.
Australia, which was also targeted in Netanyahu’s correspondence, has yet to release a formal reply, though senior officials in Canberra have previously rejected the idea that recognizing Palestinian statehood undermines Israel’s security. Instead, they have framed the decision as consistent with Australia’s long-standing support for a two-state solution and international law.
Diplomats in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific noted that Netanyahu’s increasingly confrontational tone risks alienating allies at a moment when Israel faces mounting criticism over the humanitarian toll of its military operations in Gaza. With several Western nations — including Canada and the United Kingdom — also weighing recognition, the dispute threatens to widen into a full-blown transatlantic rift over how best to pursue peace in the Middle East.
Netanyahu has ‘lost the plot’
The escalating diplomatic row between Israel and several of its Western partners is laying bare a widening gulf between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and traditional allies who have become increasingly critical of his handling of the war in Gaza. Once considered a stalwart figure of Israel’s international diplomacy, Netanyahu now finds himself openly rebuked by leaders who accuse him of obstructing peace efforts and fueling division abroad.
Much of the friction stems from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where months of Israeli bombardments have reduced vast swathes of the territory to rubble, displacing hundreds of thousands and deepening a severe humanitarian crisis. As the civilian death toll rises and international patience with the conflict wears thin, the question of Palestinian statehood has re-emerged at the center of the global debate.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last week bluntly remarked that Netanyahu had “lost the plot,” while Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten that “Netanyahu is now a problem in himself.” The unusually sharp language reflects the degree to which Netanyahu, once seen as a pragmatic guardian of Israel’s security, has become a lightning rod for international frustration.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu extended his criticism to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling him a “weak politician” after Canberra cancelled the visa of a far-right Israeli lawmaker from Netanyahu’s governing coalition. The rebuke followed months of simmering tensions between Israel and Australia, which announced in June it would recognize a Palestinian state and simultaneously imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Relations worsened further this week when Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke denied entry to another far-right Israeli politician, Simcha Rothman.
Israel quickly retaliated. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar revoked the residence visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordered Israel’s embassy in Canberra to subject all official Australian visa requests to heightened scrutiny. Netanyahu himself later lashed out on social media, declaring: “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
Albanese, speaking to Australian reporters on Wednesday, brushed aside the attack. “I do not take it personally,” he said. “I treat leaders of other countries with respect, and I engage with them in a diplomatic way.” Burke, for his part, pushed back even more forcefully, telling the ABC that “strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.”
The rupture comes as Australia and France join a growing list of Western nations preparing to recognize a Palestinian state next month, aligning themselves with more than 140 countries that have already done so. Canada and Portugal have announced similar plans, while the United Kingdom has indicated it could follow suit if Israel fails to agree to a ceasefire and broader conditions for peace.
The timing is particularly symbolic. Netanyahu has set a deadline for leaders in Paris and Canberra to take decisive action against what he called the “cancer” of antisemitism before September 23 — the Jewish New Year. That date also coincides with the start of the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level debate in New York, where recognition of Palestinian statehood is expected to feature prominently.
France has defended its decision as an attempt to revive the long-dormant two-state solution and push the conflict back onto a political track. “These times demand seriousness and responsibility, not confusion and manipulation,” the Élysée said in response to Netanyahu’s accusations. The United States, however, has sided firmly with Israel, warning that unilateral recognition risks rewarding Hamas and could derail rather than advance prospects for peace.
For Netanyahu, the dispute represents more than just a diplomatic spat — it signals the potential collapse of a decades-long consensus among Western allies who, despite periodic disagreements, had largely aligned with Israel on matters of security. Now, as his allies move toward recognizing a Palestinian state and his critics sharpen their rhetoric, Netanyahu faces the prospect of growing isolation on the world stage.