French opposition demands Israeli ambassador be summoned over election interference remarks

French opposition parties on Friday demanded the government summon Israeli Ambassador Joshua Zarka after he said in a televised interview that he would prefer “anyone rather than Jean-Luc Melenchon” to win the 2027 presidential election, triggering accusations of foreign interference.

Zarka told France 2 on June 4 that he would prefer “anyone rather than Jean-Luc Melenchon” to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. He accused Melenchon and his party, La France Insoumise (LFI), of using the issue of Israel to attract voters. “I think there are certain French political actors who would like to make the Israeli issue a campaign subject, like LFI for example, Mr. Melenchon, who uses the Israeli question to rally certain voters who traditionally vote less,” Zarka said.

LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard described the remarks as “claimed foreign interference” and called on the French government to respond. “In a normal democracy, the French authorities should react and condemn this type of statement,” Bompard said on X. LFI officials argued the ambassador should be summoned, saying foreign interference in a presidential campaign was a diplomatic matter. LFI MP Arnaud Le Gall said Zarka had breached the neutrality expected of diplomats and told him to “keep his mouth shut.”

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure called the remarks “unacceptable interference.” “The French people will decide their own future. No one is surprised to see an envoy of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu openly admitting his ties to the French far right,” Faure said on X. Horizons MEP Nathalie Loiseau said the remarks amounted to “manifest interference” in France’s domestic political affairs, calling them “totally inappropriate” for a foreign ambassador.

During the same interview, Zarka confirmed meeting Marine Le Pen in April but said the meeting did not mean Israel supported her party’s policies. Zarka said Israeli officials had previously avoided formal contact with Le Pen’s party, but argued the movement had changed, noting “The National Front had a clear antisemitic tendency.”

The French Interior Ministry said on May 20 that an Israeli company was identified as responsible for a foreign digital interference operation targeting LFI during recent municipal elections. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the operation as “serious” and said legal action had been initiated.