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The event, intended to raise funds for the Israeli military, included Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich among its invited guests.
Authorities in Paris announced that more than 4,000 police officers and 1,600 stadium staff would be deployed for the match.
Smotrich, a vocal supporter of Israeli settlements, was expected to attend Wednesday’s “Israel Is Forever” gala, planned by the association of the same name.
The group’s stated goal is to “mobilize French-speaking Zionist forces.”
After several days of growing criticism of the event, Smotrich’s office confirmed on Wednesday that the minister would not travel to Paris to participate.
But the call to Smotrich drew sharp criticism from local associations, unions and left-wing political parties, sparking two protests in the French capital.
The minister, a hard-line settler leader, is accused of fueling tensions in the West Bank and drew international condemnation this week by saying he hoped the election of Donald Trump would pave the way for Israeli annexation of the West Bank — a move that would snuff out Palestinian statehood dreams.
The French foreign ministry called Smotrich’s statements “contrary to international law” and counterproductive to efforts to reduce regional tensions.
“France reiterates its commitment to the implementation of a two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security, which is the only prospect for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the ministry said. in the statement.
Critics also pointed to Nila Kupfer-Naouri, president of the Israel Forever Association, who caused outrage in 2023, after the war between Israel and Hamas began, when she tweeted that “no civilian in Gaza is innocent.”
On Wednesday evening, several hundred protesters marched through central Paris, denouncing the event as a “wave of hatred and shame”.
“Imagine an association organizing a gala for Hezbollah or Hamas – there’s no way the police would allow it,” said Melkir Saib, a 30-year-old protester.
“The situation is simply unfair.”
The march was largely peaceful, but some protesters smashed the windows of McDonald’s along the route.
A separate group, including Jewish left-wing organizations opposed to racism and anti-Semitism, gathered near the Arc de Triomphe shouting slogans against the Gauls and Smotrich.
French authorities defended the event, with Paris police chief Laurent Nunez saying the gala posed “no major threat to public order”.
The protests came days after tensions flared in Paris and Amsterdam over conflicts in the Middle East.
A massive “Free Palestine” banner was displayed during Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, while last week violence erupted in Amsterdam targeting fans of the Israeli football club.
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