France is not stopping. President Emmanuel Macron’s country, which initiated and led a global wave of recognition of a “State of Palestine” – culminating in recent days when ten major countries around the world officially declared recognition – is not satisfied with that. At France’s request, the European Union announced in an official publication, on the website listing EU missions worldwide, that the “French Representation in Palestine” is located at 5 Paul-Émile Botta Street, Jerusalem, Palestine.
Paul-Émile Botta Street and the dispute over Jerusalem’s identity
Paul-Émile Botta Street, for those unfamiliar, is located in West Jerusalem, near the King David Hotel. Since the 1949 Armistice Agreement, the street has always been included within the municipal boundaries of the Hebrew city of Jerusalem and has never been part of “Palestine.”
On September 22, 2025, as most Israelis were gathered for the Rosh Hashanah evening meal, President Macron stood before the UN General Assembly in New York and declared: “France officially recognizes today the State of Palestine. This is a historic declaration, reflecting our long-standing commitment to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
Macron’s UN speech and the recognition of Palestine
This was the peak of a diplomatic effort led by France together with Saudi Arabia since July 2025. In recent days, ten major countries — including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, and Monaco – one after another declared their recognition of a “State of Palestine.”
As noted, France went one step further and decided that from now on its consulate in Jerusalem, on Paul-Émile Botta Street, would not only be redefined as the “French Representation in Palestine,” but that the entire street itself, in France’s view, is located in the “State of Palestine.”
The French consulate in Jerusalem versus the Israeli government
Construction of the French consulate building on Botta Street in Jerusalem began in 1929, and the consulate has operated continuously there since March 1932. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the French consulate continued to function (like other consulates in Jerusalem), while France also opened an embassy in Tel Aviv. The reason was that Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem was not recognized by many countries, including France. Nonetheless, throughout all these years – even before the unification of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War – the consulate has always received municipal services from the Hebrew city of Jerusalem (garbage collection, water supply, road and sidewalk maintenance).
The consulate functions in a manner similar to an embassy. It provides consular services to Jerusalem residents, including Israeli citizens, and to residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Israeli citizens from outside Jerusalem receive consular services from the French embassy in Tel Aviv.)
(Holiday meal on Jerusalem street – the last who still care)
In August, in response to France’s unilateral recognition process that began in July, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recommended to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the French consulate in Jerusalem be closed. On August 17, 2025, the Israeli government indeed discussed the possibility of shutting down the consulate and nationalizing the property it occupies. Perhaps now, after the process has matured into reality, the time has come to implement that recommendation – and to clarify for France in which country Paul-Émile Botta Street is located.
