Fischer-Chauvel Agreement
The Fischer-Chauvel Agreement was an agreement made in 1948 between the French and Israeli governments involving the status of French institutions in the newly founded State of Israel and claimed by France as "Domaine national français". The agreement was signed for Israel by Maurice Fischer (1903–1965), an Israeli diplomat in France at the time. As at 2005, the agreement has not been ratified by Israel.[1] The French claims are based on claimed acquisitions predating the formation of the State of Israel.
There are four sites in Jerusalem claimed by France as Domaine national:
- Church of the Pater Noster, also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona
- Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh
- Tombs of the Kings
- Church of Saint Anne.
Incidents
The agreement was invoked by France in late 1963 in a so-called "Of Pigs and Men" affair, involving some 40 pigs being raised in the convent of Les Filles de la Charitė in Ein Kerem, despite a ban by Israel on such activity.[1]
French presidents have claimed that the Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem come under French protection, owned by its government, and is French territory. In 1996, during Jacques Chirac’s visit to Jerusalem, the French president refused to enter the church until Israeli soldiers who accompanied him left. On 22 January 2020, French president Emmanuel Macron demanded that Israeli security services leave the church, also saying “the rules that have existed for several centuries”.[2][3] The Israeli government has not made any public statement relating to the French incidents.
See also
References
- ^ a b Cross on the Star of David: The Christian World in Israel's Foreign Policy, 1948-1967 (2005) by Uri Bialer, pp 117-119, ISBN 978-0253346476
- ^ French President Macron orders Israeli police out of French church
- ^ "VIDEO. "Je n'aime pas ce que vous avez fait devant moi" : le coup de colère (en anglais) d'Emmanuel Macron contre les forces de sécurité israéliennes à Jérusalem". Franceinfo (in French). 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-01-22.