French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, March 24, 2026. JULIEN MUGUET FOR LE MONDE
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot caused confusion on Thursday, April 9, when he expressed concern over the Israeli law establishing the death penalty for Palestinian "terrorists," which was passed by the Knesset on March 30. Responding to a government question from Socialist senator Gisèle Jourda, Barrot said he was "dismayed" by the bill, which he considered to be contrary to Israel's "humanist, universalist ethics."
Barrot then sought to define the values that France "recognizes" in "the people" of Israel. He brought up a quote attributed to former prime minister Golda Meir (1969-1974): "We can forgive our enemies for killing our children, but we cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children."
This explosive quote, given in response to a question about the death penalty, sparked some criticism. Radical-left MP Aymeric Caron condemned the remark on X as "racist and supremacist," noting that Meir had used it in her time "to justify the massacres of Palestinians, who, according to her, only had themselves to blame for being exterminated."" In Palestinian memory, the phrase remains a justification for violence from a State that is certain of its own righteousness.
