The heads of major Jewish groups in France refused to hold a meeting with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday night during his trip to Paris for the OECD conference.
Rather than having a top-level representative, representatives from subordinate levels of the organizations were dispatched to meet with Smotrich, a noteworthy slight for encounters with leading Israeli government officials.
Smotrich took to Twitter to share a picture of the gathering, but esteemed leaders from CRIF, Consistory, and FSJU weren’t there.
According to both a French diplomatic source and a representative from the Jewish community who spoke with Haaretz, the absence of said individual during the visit was a decision that had been determined prior.
An Israeli political figure made it clear that Smotrich had never asked for gatherings with French government officials, understanding that the request would likely be denied.
When the far-right minister earlier visited France, it caused a huge political uproar when, during a remembrance service in Paris, he said that there is no Palestinian nation, and thus, no Palestinian people.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry heavily criticized his comments.
In March, when Smotrich made a trip to the U.S., he received a lukewarm welcome as the Biden administration almost refused to grant him a visa and he failed to meet with any prominent U.S. officials.
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