(Bloomberg) — Emmanuel Macron’s diminished authority in France’s power-sharing government appears to be taking its toll.
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Macron’s tirade against his ministers, journalists and political commentators, accusing them of “a lack of professionalism” for leaking comments he made about Israel, cast the French president in an unusual light this week.
“I was surprised to read so many comments, comments on comments, reactions, including from political leaders, foreign or French, to comments I made, without people trying to figure out what exactly I had said,” a visibly angry Macron told reporters. after a European Union summit.
Thursday night’s outburst reveals Macron’s deep frustrations on the domestic scene, including suggestions that he cannot trust his own ministers. The president lost his parliamentary majority in the elections he called this summer after far-right leader Marine Le Pen gave Macron’s centrists a beating in voting for the European Parliament.
“I speak often enough about the situation in the Middle East that I don’t need a ventriloquist,” Macron said on Thursday. While he did not deny making comments about Israel, he said they had been misrepresented.
The controversy began after reports that Macron told a cabinet meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not forget that Israel was created by a decision of the United Nations.
The comment cited by French media infuriated Netanyahu and drew fire from a Jewish community group and some politicians.
Senate President Gerard Larcher, a conservative, said he was “stunned” by the comments and Macron’s “ignorance” of history. A lawmaker in Macron’s party, whose voters include French citizens in Israel, suggested that Macron was questioning the country’s existence.
Israel declared its independence in 1948 following a partition plan approved by the UN six months earlier that outlined a division of Palestine between Jews and Arabs.
Macron strongly reiterated his support for Israel on Thursday, while saying France has the right and responsibility not to always agree with Netanyahu. He criticized countries that call for a ceasefire in Gaza but continue to supply weapons to Israel.
He also threatened to stop holding press conferences if he is quoted against his will, saying reporters should only quote his public comments.
Macron’s decision to call early elections led to two months of wrangling with France’s remnants over the appointment of a prime minister, ending with the appointment of conservative Michel Barnier.
Barnier, a veteran politician who served as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, has made it clear he wants to gain his own ground.
On Thursday, he traveled as Macron to Brussels – it is rare for French heads of state and government to be abroad at the same time – to attend a meeting of the EU’s conservative party group. It was a signal that European policy is a shared domain between the president and the prime minister.
The election result has forced Macron to retreat on domestic issues after he set up a power-sharing arrangement with more conservative forces, including Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, the government’s most hardline member. Two cabinet members have threatened to resign over budget demands.
France’s 2025 budget could be the next flashpoint as opposition parties could topple Barnier’s government if they join forces in a confidence vote, giving Le Pen’s National Rally the power to topple the government.
The National Rally’s budget wish list includes taxing super dividends and share buybacks, increasing pressure on Barnier. National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy said on Wednesday his party would abstain from a confidence vote as long as the government does more to reduce debt and increase what he calls “fiscal justice”.
–With help from Galit Altstein.
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