Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, said an incident at a commemorative event in the European Parliament reflected a growing problem of antisemitism in France. The event took place in Strasbourg as the world marked the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks. The report said the war in Gaza continued, with tens of thousands dead and no clear path to peace.
The Strasbourg incident
French MEP Rima Hassan faced accusations of kicking an Israeli flag to the ground during the event. Hassan denied throwing it down. She said she’d removed it from its stand.
The report identifies the gathering as a commemoration held in the European Parliament and records competing accounts of what happened to the flag. Zarka described the incident as a sign of a growing problem of antisemitism in France. Hassan rejected the accusation and gave a different account of her action.
The incident took place against the backdrop of the October 7 attacks’ third anniversary and the continuing war in Gaza. Tens of thousands had died in the war, the report said, and there was no clear path to peace. It gave no further details about the commemorative event or any response from other participants.
Hassan’s response
In a post on X, Hassan said her gesture denounced the war and what she described as violations of international law. She also raised what she called a double standard over national flags inside the institution.
“My gesture is part of the denunciation of the ongoing genocide, of violations of international law, and of this incessant and unbearable double standard: a Russian flag would never be admitted within the institution's premises,” Hassan wrote. “The State of Israel, which is a partner in this event through its embassy, continues to enjoy total impunity.”
Hassan’s post linked her account of removing the flag from its stand to her criticism of Israel’s role in the event. She contrasted the Israeli flag’s presence with what she said would happen to a Russian flag on the institution’s premises. Her statement also accused Israel of enjoying impunity. Those were her claims in the post.
Two accounts of the gesture
Zarka and Hassan described the incident differently. He said it reflected a growing problem of antisemitism in France. Hassan denied throwing the flag down and said her gesture protested the war, alleged violations of international law, and what she called a double standard.
The report offered no additional evidence about the disputed action and did not say whether anyone independently assessed the accusation. It records Hassan’s denial and explanation alongside Zarka’s assessment. The event took place as people marked the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, while the war in Gaza continued and no clear path to peace emerged, according to the report.