The French government’s decision, not only to lead a global anti-Israel campaign recognizing a “Palestinian state,” but also to rebrand its consulate on 5 Emile Botta Street in West Jerusalem as the “French Representation in Palestine,” and even to claim the street lies in “Palestine,” has sparked outrage and mobilized public figures.
Protest at the French consulate in Jerusalem
Likud MK Dan Illouz launched a protest this morning (Thursday) outside the French consulate in Jerusalem, turning the sidewalk into his “office” for meeting supporters. He declared that the French consul should see that, on the very street they claim is in “Palestine,” there now stands the office of an Israeli lawmaker. Illouz told the crowd: “It is not right that a consulate should serve the enemy here. If they want – let them open in Ramallah.”
Demand to revoke French consulate parking spaces
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Arieh King from the ‘United’ faction initiated a series of steps: he appealed to the head of the sanitation department and to Mayor Moshe Leon, demanding to halt garbage collection from the French consulate building – “let them ask the Palestinian Authority to collect it.” He also demanded the cancellation of 24 reserved parking spaces for the consulate: “Want reserved parking? Park in Ramallah, Nablus or Gaza.”
Proposal to rename Emile Botta Street to Dreyfus
King also urged Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to “close the consulate that represents the enemy.” In addition, he announced his intention to advance a resolution in the municipal street-naming committee to replace the name of Emile Botta Street, named after a French consul in Jerusalem, with Alfred Dreyfus Street – after the Jewish-French officer persecuted in the notorious antisemitic trial.
King further declared he will lead a demonstration on Sunday, September 28, 2025, outside the consulate building. In his appeal to the public, he urged: “Come with flags, with signs in French, and with strong motivation for the fight against Nazi terror supporters.”
(French consulate in mid-Jerusalem: street marked Palestine)
Paul-Émile Botta and the French consulate in Jerusalem
Paul-Émile Botta was a 19th-century French diplomat and scholar, known as a pioneer of Mesopotamian archaeology. In 1843 he uncovered Khorsabad, the palace site of Assyrian King Sargon II, bringing significant inscriptions and reliefs to light. His discoveries laid the foundation for Assyrian studies and influenced modern archaeology. Botta served as French consul general in Jerusalem between 1844 and 1855, and the street where the consulate stands in West Jerusalem has borne his name since 1932.
Alfred Dreyfus and the fight against antisemitism in France
Alfred Dreyfus was a French Jewish officer who became a symbol in the battle against antisemitism during his infamous late 19th-century trial. In 1894 he was falsely accused of spying for Germany, convicted, and imprisoned. The case exposed deep prejudices in the French army and society, sparking a public struggle led by writer Émile Zola that split the nation until Dreyfus was exonerated in 1906.
