France stops renewing work visas for El Al security staff amid strained Israel ties

For the last six months, French authorities have stopped renewing work visas for security guards working for the Israeli airline company, El Al, according to a Ynet News report on Monday.

The situation now leaves Israeli security guards with two options: return to Israel or remain in France without a valid work visa. Although not explicitly stated, the move by the French authorities is widely seen as a further escalation in the already strained diplomatic relations between Paris and Jerusalem amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“In the past six months, none of the employees whose work visas expired have received renewals,” an El Al flight security guard based in Paris told Ynet News.

“This has never happened before, and no one has been granted new approvals. It seems they are trying to end the employment of El Al security personnel in France.”

Say it ain't so, France. Say it ain't so! What happened to France?https://t.co/yYINISH1Gh

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 12, 2025

The Israeli embassy in Paris is reportedly seeking a diplomatic resolution and has been in contact with relevant officials. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that “the matter is being handled by the embassy in coordination with the French Foreign Ministry.”

The French embassy in Tel Aviv, however, has so far declined to comment on the sensitive issue.

After already blasting France for several hostile moves toward Israel, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee again criticized the country upon hearing the report: "Say it ain't so, France. Say it ain't so! What happened to France?"

Last week, anti-Israel activists vandalized El Al’s Paris office with graffiti, including the words “genocide airline,” referring to Israel’s operations against the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

“El Al views this incident with utmost seriousness and is working with French and Israeli authorities to address it,” the airline said in an official statement. “We proudly carry Israel’s flag on our planes’ tails and condemn all forms of violence, especially those driven by antisemitism.”

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot condemned the antisemitic attack on El Al’s office. "Acts of hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in our Republic," Tabarot wrote in a post on 𝕏.

In June, France decided to block the display of Israeli weapons at the Paris defense expo due to the Gaza War.

Like many Western nations, France has seen a dramatic increase in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents since the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre in 2023. While the French government officially opposes antisemitism, many French Jews and friends of Israel believe that France's Middle East policies encourage antisemitism at home and abroad.

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France's intention to unilaterally recognize a “Palestinian state” at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. Israel and the United States have strongly criticized the French government’s move for being a reward for Hamas.

French Jewish leader Robert Ejnes echoed this view. “We see it as a recognition of the terrorist value of the 7th of October,” Ejnes argued. “And we're not the only ones to say it, because Hamas leaders say exactly the same thing three days ago."

“There is a very strong rise in antisemitism since October 7,” he said. “The extreme left has made Gaza a major political argument in their campaigns. And they're really pushing for the hate of Israel – and by the way, the hate of the Jews."

Ejnes warned that many French Jews now feel increasingly unsafe and are therefore considering emigrating to Israel or other countries.

“I don't know a family that is not speaking about it now,” he said.