France to provide round-the-clock protection for Israeli Olympic team: summary

What we know

• France's interior minister has announced that Israeli athletes will receive 24-hour protection during the Paris Olympics. This decision follows a statement from a far-left lawmaker declaring Israel's delegation unwelcome and calling for protests against their participation.
• French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced this on Sunday evening during a TV interview. This measure comes 52 years after the Munich Olympics massacre, where 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian militants.
• Darmanin's statement further followed remarks by Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, who was filmed saying that Israel's Olympic athletes were not welcome in France and calling for protests against their participation in the Games.
• In alignment with the French interior minister, On Monday, July 22, during a meeting with European Union counterparts in Brussels, Reuters reports that France's Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné expressed his support for the Israeli Olympic team.
• As a reflection of the complex security concerns surrounding the Israeli delegation, the memorial ceremony for the Israeli athletes killed in the 1972 Munich attack has been relocated from outside Paris' City Hall to the Israeli embassy.
• The Olympic Games commence on Friday, July 26, amidst significant security concerns, heightened by ongoing geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and Gaza. Israel's conflict with Hamas, which has severely impacted Gaza, has sparked intense debate among France's far left, with some critics accusing pro-Palestinian members of antisemitism.

What they said

"We are a few days away from an international event which will be held in Paris, which is the Olympic Games. And I am here to say that no, the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris," Thomas Portes, according to Reuters. However, Stéphane Séjourné shared that "I want to say on behalf of France, to the Israeli delegation, we welcome you to France for these Olympic Games " and France will ensure "the security of the Israeli delegation".