FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris absorbs a double diplomatic blow. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter publicly stated he wanted to keep the French "as far as possible from practically everything, but especially from peace negotiations" — a diplomatic humiliation that 20 Minutes and RFI have replayed repeatedly. Le Monde details the mechanics: the meeting lasted two hours, led by ambassadors Leiter and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, under the aegis of Rubio and planning director Michael Needham. Paris was conspicuously absent. France 24 notes that France joined 17 countries in calling for dialogue but also insisted on including the Lebanese front in the US-Iran ceasefire — exactly what Israel refuses. The Élysée struck back by announcing a France-UK videoconference Friday on the Strait of Hormuz. This repositioning is classic: when Paris loses influence on one file, it creates another. But the brutality of Israeli language marks a rupture. Since recognizing Palestinian statehood, Paris has shifted from "indispensable" to "inconvenient" for Tel Aviv.