By Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
JERUSALEM — This week, the Shurat HaDin Law Center submitted a formal request to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion urging him to rename the city’s well-known Paris Square. The move comes in response to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state—an act that, we argue, rewards Hamas terrorism and undermines Israel’s security.
The letter proposes renaming the site “Dreyfus Square” and calls for a review of France’s privileges and extensive property holdings in Jerusalem. It stresses that the square, renamed in 1998 to celebrate 50 years of friendship between Israel and France, has now been tainted by France’s betrayal.
Furthermore, the letter asserts that France’s decision constitutes a violation of the Oslo Accords, emboldens Hamas by legitimizing its violence, and fuels the flames of global antisemitism. In effect, the French government has chosen to stand with Israel’s enemies rather than with the Jewish state.
We therefore demand that Mayor Lion act decisively—revoking the special privileges and accommodations previously granted to France in Jerusalem. France’s betrayal cannot go unanswered!
The text of the letter follows:
Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center is an international legal organization comprised of
attorneys and jurists from Israel and abroad. We work to defend the rights of the citizens
and residents of Israel and of the Jewish people worldwide. Our activities include
representing victims of terrorism, advocating before the International Criminal Court on
behalf of the State of Israel, countering the BDS movement, and promoting the rights of
Holocaust survivors.
The Government of France, under the leadership of President Emmanuel Macron, has
unilaterally announced its decision to recognize the so-called “State of Palestine.” This
reckless move—which France is actively encouraging other nations to adopt—directly
violates the Oslo Accords and other binding international agreements. It poses a grave
threat to Israel’s security, undermines the efforts of our soldiers fighting terrorism in
Gaza, and rewards Hamas for its atrocities of rape, murder, and other crimes against
innocent Israelis. Moreover, this decision endangers the lives of Jews in France and
worldwide and further fuels the scourge of antisemitism.
The French decision also threatens the unity of Jerusalem, as it effectively endorses the
Palestinian demand to partition our eternal capital and declare “East Jerusalem” the
capital of such an entity.
At the heart of the Rehavia neighborhood stands Paris Square. In 1998 its name was
changed to mark fifty years of friendship between Israel and France. At its center stands a
fountain, gifted by the Municipality of Paris, symbolizing that friendship.
Today, that symbolic friendship has been gravely compromised. France’s political
support for Palestinian extremists, its consistent anti-Israel positions in the international
arena, and its failure to confront the dangerous rise of antisemitism within its own
borders make it untenable for this square to continue bearing the name “Paris.”
Shurat HaDin, which has long fought antisemitism worldwide, therefore calls upon the
Municipality of Jerusalem to immediately rename Paris Square with a title more relevant
and truthful—for example, Dreyfus Square. Such a name would remind the world of the
historic injustice committed against a Jew in France and reaffirm our duty to combat
antisemitism in every generation.
This is not a matter of mere symbolism. It is a moral and public stance. Jerusalem must
send a clear and unequivocal message: we will not remain silent in the face of France’s
dangerous conduct.
Furthermore, France maintains special interests and properties within Jerusalem. It is
time to reconsider the privileges historically extended to France and its representatives,
including ownership of the Tombs of the Kings and related arrangements. We therefore
urge the Municipality of Jerusalem, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, to
review and identify measures by which France’s privileges in the city may be curtailed. It
is unacceptable for France to continue enjoying special rights in Jerusalem while actively
working against the unity and sovereignty of Israel’s capital.
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Nitsana Darshan-Leitner is president of Shurat Ha Din, the Israel Law Center.