Israel's ambassador to France secretly met with right-wing nationalist French politician Marine Le Pen

Right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen recently met with Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka, according to an i24 report. 

The meeting, which was not announced by any diplomatic source, reportedly took place last Wednesday evening and represents a shift for Israel in its stance towards right-wing political parties in Europe. 

Le Pen has defended Israel in public comments before; however, Israel has generally preferred to minimize its interaction with right-wing European political parties that have ties to antisemitism.

In May 2025, while condemning French President Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Le Pen said, “Israel is doing what it can in a situation that is extremely difficult.” 

Earlier last year, Jordan Bardella, president of Le Pen’s National Rally party, met with Israeli politicians to strengthen ties while attending the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Israel.

The meeting between Le Pen and Zarka was later confirmed by the Israeli embassy in France, and marks the first time that Israeli officials have engaged Le Pen, whose father was well-known in French politics for antisemitism and Holocaust denial. 

Under Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has reportedly begun holding discreet meetings with several such right-wing political party leaders

After assuming his position in November 2024, Sa’ar re-evaluated Israel’s relationship with several right-wing European parties, noting their stance on Israel, attitudes towards Jewish communities in Europe, antisemitic history, and relations with Jewish communities in their own country. 

At the time, Sa’ar determined that relations could be developed with France’s New Rally party, Sweden’s Democrats, and Spain’s Vox. However, he reportedly felt that other parties, including Austria’s Freedom Party and Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), had not made sufficient reforms to warrant further engagement. 

With France moving into another presidential election cycle, Le Pen appears to be positioning herself as a head of state, including by meeting with Lebanese Ambassador Rabih Chaer on the same day.

Michaël Darmon, political analyst at i24 News, said the meetings show that “Marine Le Pen is on a diplomatic tour related to tensions in the Middle East.” 

Relations between France and Israel, frequently strained, have deteriorated under Macron as he has repeatedly expressed criticism of the Israeli government and support for the Palestinian cause. 

After Macron said during a television appearance last May that “what Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is doing today is unacceptable,” Marine Le Pen responded, saying, “I find this statement unworthy of the President of the French Republic.”

She continued, arguing that Macron “keeps increasing his criticism of Israel, perhaps because he is incapable of providing a solution to facilitate the fight against Islamist fundamentalism.” 

However, Le Pen recently expressed her support for Macron’s call to include Lebanon in the Iran ceasefire, stating that France should “protect Lebanon, its people and its sovereignty.”

Following the division of much of the former Ottoman Empire between England and France after World War I, France gained control of Lebanon and Syria. As a result, France has continued to play a significant part in Lebanon’s development.

Recently, the French government expressed support for a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, and signaled its willingness to be part of peace talks between the two countries. 

In response, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter rejected any French participation, saying, “We’d like to keep the French as far away as possible from pretty much everything, but particularly when it comes to peace negotiations.” 

“They’re not needed. They’re not a positive influence, particularly not on Lebanon,” he added.