Israeli ambassador compares France's far-left leader's rhetoric to Hitler as antisemitism surges

PARIS, France — Israel's ambassador to France says far-left person Jean-Luc Mélenchon's rhetoric against Jews "reminds maine of Hitler," informing that overseas power is fueling a surge successful antisemitism that has immoderate French Jews hiding their identities to past regular life.

France recorded 1,320 antisemitic acts successful 2025 — triple the 436 incidents successful 2022 — but a elder subordinate of the Jewish assemblage leaders told Fox News Digital they garbage to retreat, adjacent arsenic the attacks and incidents support coming.

Israeli Ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, says France is location to Europe’s largest Muslim assemblage and is contributing to a precocious measurement of antisemitic incidents reported crossed the state each day. France besides has Europe's largest Jewish community.

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Leader of French left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) enactment Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a code during an electoral run gathering of the section LFI campaigner for French municipal elections successful Marseille, confederate France, connected March 7, 2026.  (Miguel Medina / AFP via Getty Images)

"The fig of events is highly precocious — not due to the fact that the French authorities does not combat it, but due to the fact that determination is this basal successful which antisemitism is growing," helium said, owed to overseas influence, which helium claimed comes from Iran, Russia, Turkey and Qatar.

While helium says those authorities actors are fueling the occurrence of Jew-hatred from the outside, definite French governmental actors exploit antisemitism for the intent of getting much votes. According to Zarka, foremost among them is the far-left enactment La France Insoumise (LFI).

"The mode [LFI leader] Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks successful beforehand of a assemblage reminds maine of Hitler. The mode helium uses the thought of uniting against 1 force by speaking of Israel is akin to the mode Hitler utilized to talk astir the Jews," Zarka said.

In February, the Human Rights League criticized Mélenchon aft helium mocked the pronunciation of Jewish names, including that of MEP Raphaël Glucksmann.

Palestinian protestors question flags with immoderate seemingly making Nazi-like salutes during a shot crippled betwixt Israel and Paraguay during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games astatine the Parc des Princes successful Paris connected July 27, 2024.  (GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

Mélenchon antecedently wrote connected his blog that "antisemitism remains residual successful France," remarks critics said downplayed a surge successful Jew-hatred pursuing Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre successful Israel.

Fox News Digital repeatedly contacted Mélenchon’s media advisor for remark but did not person a response.

Zarka added that implicit the past 3 years determination has been a displacement successful the Jewish community’s cognition of what was erstwhile considered the utmost right, with galore nary longer viewing the National Rally, formerly led by Marine Le Pen, arsenic such.

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Protesters clasp signs speechmaking "raped astatine 12 due to the fact that Jewish" during a objection called by associations including SOS Racisme and the Women's Foundation to denounce antisemitism, successful Paris connected June 20, 2024, aft the alleged antisemetic pack rape of a 12-year-old miss successful Paris' suburb of Courbevoie. (ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP via Getty Images)

"Let’s not hide that [National Rally president] Jordan Bardella went to Israel and, astatine Yad Vashem, made a ceremonial committedness to combat antisemitism, beryllium it from the close oregon the left, and that is significant... that is sinking into the caput of the Jewish community," Zarka said."

Recent incidents see the partial cutting down connected Jan. 12 successful Lyon of a histrion planted successful representation of Ilan Halimi, who was abducted and murdered successful a 2006 antisemitic attack. On Feb. 9, a young lad wearing a kippah was assaulted by a radical of 5 individuals, 1 of whom allegedly held a weapon to his throat. Ten days later, acerb was sprayed successful 2 eating rooms of a kosher edifice successful Paris’s 17th arrondissement. On Apr. 15, racist and antisemitic graffiti targeted 3 precocious schools successful the Montpellier metropolitan area.

El Al's offices successful Paris were vandalized, showing graffiti connected the building's exterior. (Noemie Olive/Reuters)

In March, 2 brothers were arrested successful transportation with what authorities described arsenic a "deadly and antisemitic" crippled aft constabulary discovered a semi-automatic weapon, a vessel of hydrochloric acerb and an Islamic State emblem successful their vehicle.

Rabbi Elie Lemmel was targeted successful 2 antisemitic attacks, including past June successful Deauville, wherever helium was punched successful the stomach. Days later, helium was attacked again successful Neuilly-sur-Seine portion sitting astatine a café terrace, erstwhile a Palestinian from Gaza struck him with a chair.

Lemmel told Fox News Digital helium had astir ne'er faced aggression before, but believes the post-Oct. 7 struggle has intensified tensions. He said helium understands those who take to beryllium much discreet and would ne'er justice them.

"You person to beryllium vigilant," helium said. "Unfortunately, immoderate radical spot a kippah and it bothers them. Those who privation to bash harm volition ever find reasons.

"If we commencement hiding, it is the opening of the end," helium added. "I person ever worn a kippah, and that is wherefore I proceed to deterioration it."

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Yonathan Arfi, president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (CRIF), said immoderate Jewish families present forgo displaying mezuzahs oregon usage antithetic names connected mobile apps to debar being identified.

"On the 1 hand, determination is simply a emergence successful antisemitism that leads to precautionary behavior," Arfi told Fox News Digital. "On the different hand, Jewish beingness remains much vibrant than ever, with synagogues afloat and much kosher restaurants than ever before."

"We indispensable not connection antisemitic terrorists and those driven by hatred our fearfulness and withdrawal arsenic a trophy," said Arfi. "Wherever possible, Jewish beingness indispensable proceed openly and proudly."

French riot constabulary usage teardrop state to disperse demonstrators during a pro-Palestinian rally astatine Republique Square successful Paris connected Oct. 12, 2023. (Ibrahim Ezzat/Anadolu)

Immigration to Israel, helium said, should nevertheless beryllium seen arsenic a informing motion that immoderate Jews nary longer spot a aboriginal successful France.

Historically, French migration to Israel averaged betwixt 1,500 and 2,000 radical annually aft the Six-Day War. The fig peaked astatine astir 8,000 annually betwixt 2012 and 2015, fell to astir 1,000 successful 2023, past roseate again to much than 2,000 successful 2024 and 3,500 successful 2025. The Jewish Agency for Israel estimates astir 4,000 immigrants from France successful 2026.

The Israeli ambassador to Paris noted that French authorities instrumentality combating antisemitism seriously, and truthful the state remains "a comparatively harmless place," portion urging Israelis to workout caution erstwhile traveling to different European countries specified arsenic Spain, Belgium and adjacent the Netherlands, "where antisemitism flourishes."

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly astatine U.N. office successful New York connected Sept. 23, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

In February, President Emmanuel Macron denounced the "antisemitic hydra" that had crept into "every crack" of French nine during a ceremonial commemorating Ilan Halimi, a Jewish antheral kidnapped and tortured to decease by the Gang of Barbarians successful 2006.

"In 20 years, and contempt the resolute efforts of our constabulary officers, gendarmes, judges, teachers and elected officials, the antisemitic hydra has kept advancing," Macron said, according to Le Monde.

"Constantly assuming caller faces, it has insinuated itself into the bosom of our societies, into each crevice, excessively often accompanied by that aforesaid pact of cowardice: to support silent, to garbage to see," helium continued.

Macron besides condemned the "Islamist antisemitism" down the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre, arsenic good arsenic "far-left antisemitism," which helium said "rivals that of the acold right."

He added that antisemitism progressively "uses the disguise of anti-Zionism to beforehand quietly."

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Marine Le Pen and deputies Sebastien Chenu and Jordan Bardella enactment successful a march against antisemitism from the Esplanade des Invalides to the Senate successful Paris connected Nov. 12, 2023. (Antoine Gyori/Corbis via Getty Images)

Even so, bilateral ties with Israel are not without friction, with Zarka disclosing that the authorities of French President Emmanuel Macron refused to let U.S. subject overflights carrying weapons to Israel during the warfare against Iran.

"The French made the determination not to supply america with an aerial span for American limb shipments to alert implicit during the warfare against Iran," helium said.

It was the 2nd clip France had denied specified a request, the archetypal occurring during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the envoy noted.