Citizens from the State of Israel who wish to issue a French visa, receive a passport, or any other service on behalf of the French Embassy in Israel were surprised to discover that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not consider Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to be part of the country.

Thus, on the government visa issuance website, under the heading "desired issuance location" the names of the various countries around the globe appear, with Jerusalem being one of them. If the applicant chose the "Israel" option, in the "desired issuance city" category, one option appears; Tel Aviv.

Furthermore, residents of Jerusalem do not have the option of using the services of the consulate in Tel Aviv, but only the ones in their city. The same is true for the residents of the eastern part of the city, whom France does not consider part of the Palestinian Authority but of the amorphous entity Jerusalem, which, at least according to the website, is both a city and a state.

French parliament declares Israel not an apartheid state - The Jerusalem Post https://t.co/HB5iJNJrTQ

— Stealth Virologist (@StealthMedical1) May 14, 2023

While the French government is overall considered a strong ally of the state of Israel, tensions between the two countries have grown, beginning with the deportation of the French-Palestinian terrorist, Salah Hammouri, from the State of Israel. 

In the statement released at the time by the French Foreign Ministry, it was said: "France took many steps in front of the Israeli authorities in order to express in the clearest way its opposition to the deportation of the Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, which is an occupied territory according to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Consulates General of France in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as the French Embassy in Israel, are doing everything. An effort is made to provide him with all possible assistance during the many consular visits. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs remains in continuous contact with Mr. Hammouri's family.

Additionally, the current President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has been vocal in regard to his concerns with the current Israeli government and its policies such as judicial reform. During the most recent meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Macron, the French leader expressed his concerns and warned that the proposal “opens a crisis unprecedented since the birth of the state in 1948.” Netanyahu reportedly responded to Macron by saying that the Israeli Supreme Court has become too intrusive and needs further restraining in terms of its grip on the Knesset.