Israeli ambassador to France resigns over new ‘extreme’ Israeli government

Israel’s Ambassador to France has resigned saying she could no longer represent Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu’s new “extreme” government.

In a letter to the prime minister, Yael German wrote that she couldn’t “lie” to herself and continue to “represent policies that are so radically different from what I believe in”.

“Sadly, the government you established and lead includes representatives of parties whose extreme positions are expressed in its guidelines, in its policies, and in statements on legislation — illegitimate in my eyes — that it intends to pass,” she wrote.

The unprecedented resignation comes amid widespread criticism hurled at Netanyahu’s government, with former Supreme Court judges, senior IDF veterans, and leading high-tech firms voicing their concerns about the new government.

As Netanyahu’s government was a being sworn in on Thursday, thousands of demonstrators were protesting outside Knesset, with some fearing legislation that will allow for LGBTQ discrimination.

Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper published an article last week, revealing a blacklist made by the far-right Noam party in 2019, which singled out LGBTQ individuals in the Israeli media, in an attempt to show how the community influences Israeli society.

Another protest was held in the evening on one of Israel’s most busiest highways in Tel Aviv, with thousands blocking traffic. The demonstration was organised by Aguda – Israel’s LGBTQ Task Force.