French President Emmanuel Macron is facing growing backlash as France is effectively pushed out of historic US-led talks between Israel and Lebanon—highlighting what critics describe as Paris’ deeply flawed and biased Middle East policy.
The high-level meeting, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio under President Donald Trump’s leadership, will take place Tuesday at the ambassadorial level. Notably absent: France, the former colonial power in Lebanon, whose exclusion underscores a dramatic loss of credibility on the diplomatic stage.
According to reports, Israel explicitly requested that France be left out. Israeli officials accused Paris of consistently undermining Israel’s right to defend itself, particularly during the war against Iran, and of failing to take meaningful action against Hezbollah. One official described France as an “unfair mediator” after a year of policies seen as favoring Hezbollah interests.
Macron has drawn sharp criticism for pressuring Israel to halt strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon—even after the terror group openly joined Iran’s war effort by launching rockets into Israel. Despite Hezbollah’s clear violations of ceasefire agreements, Paris has continued pushing positions widely seen as shielding the organization from consequences.