Israel / Palestine

Political relations

France has established a robust bilateral relationship with Israel, marked by constant commitment to the its existence and security.

France was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, on 11 May 1949. France then actively helped consolidate the young State by contributing to its defence effort. France adopted a position of neutrality in the Six-Day War in 1967 (call for moderation on both sides, embargo on arms deliveries to the region before hostilities broke out). United Nations Resolution 242, unanimously adopted by the Security Council members including France, calls on Israel to withdraw “from territories occupied in the recent conflict”. Ever since, France’s policy has been marked by a desire to strike a balance between its support for the State of Israel, of which the right to exist and right to security are unquestionable, and condemning the policy of settlement-building in occupied territories which is contrary to international law and endangers the two-state solution.

The political relationship, with regular bilateral visits and a strategic dialogue established between the secretaries-general of the Foreign Ministries in 2009, has been bolstered by considerable cultural, scientific, economic and tourism cooperation. In 2018, the France-Israel relationship was marked by the cross-cultural season.

The bilateral relationship between France and Israel is also supported by the presence in Israel of a large French community (150,000 people), while France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community. France is committed to the role of the French Jewish community, which is one of the pillars of the diversity of French society, and to the action of French nationals in Israel as communicators of Francophonie and its values (Israel is home to approximately 700,000 French speakers, making up close to 20% of the population).

Economic relations

In 2017, French exports of goods to Israel stood at €1.52 billion (up 12.9% compared to 2016). The major French exports (excluding diamonds) are aircraft and automobiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and industrial products. Israel ranks 48th among France’s customers and 34th in terms of trade surplus (2017).

France ranks 12th among Israel’s suppliers and 10th among its customers (Source: GTA-GTIS, 2017). Israel is France’s 8th-largest customer and 9th-largest supplier in the Middle East and North Africa region. It represents 5.1% of French exports to the region. French imports also increased in 2017 (€1.3 billion, up 4.3% compared with 2016).

France’s presence in Israel has developed considerably since the turn of the century. In 2017, some 100 French businesses were established in Israel, accounting for 5,530 jobs and an estimated turnover of €534 million. According to Bank of France data, by the end of 2017, French foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in the country had reached €2.9 billion at the end of 2017, representing an annual 6% increase since 2012. Israel has one of the world’s most dynamic economies when it comes to research and development (4.5% of its GDP goes to R&D, excluding military R&D spending), it is the world’s 4th-leading country in terms of patents and, according to the Bloomberg Innovation Index 2017, it is the world’s 10th most innovative economy). Exchanges in areas related to innovation are growing strongly, particularly within the French Tech network initiative. The cross-cultural season also saw a major French presence at the 2018 Digital Life Design festival in Tel Aviv.

France is among the top five destinations for Israeli tourists, alongside the United States, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom.