France vows strong response to Israel after recognizing the State of Palestine.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

France threatens Israel with harsh responses after recognizing the State of Palestine. A senior French diplomatic source confirmed yesterday, Thursday, that Paris is preparing to take "strict and unprecedented" measures against Israel, in response to its recent policies and its rejection of French recognition of the State of Palestine. Le Figaro newspaper quoted the diplomat as saying that France may resort to exceptional measures that go beyond traditional diplomatic norms, explaining that one of the options on the table is to expel Israeli diplomats from Paris, especially if Tel Aviv closes the French consulate in occupied Jerusalem. The source indicated that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Paris that it is already considering closing the French consulate, which Paris considers a direct provocation. He added: "If Israel proceeds in this direction, France is capable of responding in kind, as Israel has an active embassy in Paris." In the same context, the American website Politico revealed, quoting European officials, that Israel is looking into a range of options for escalating against France and other European countries that have recently recognized the State of Palestine, including accelerating steps to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, closing the French consulate in Jerusalem, and even "encroaching on French-protected territories in Israel, such as the Eliona Christian shrine." The website quoted a European diplomat as saying: "Whatever path Tel Aviv takes, relations between France and Israel are heading towards a serious deterioration," adding that French President Emmanuel Macron is personally leading this political path, at a time when his relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are tense and complex.