Relationship dossier
France
Israel
Relationship assessment
Scientific and security cooperation persists alongside recurring disagreements over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
France toward Israel
+10France has supported Israel’s security and maintained bilateral scientific cooperation, while opposing Israeli settlement expansion and advocating a two-state solution. France’s 1967 arms embargo was a major adversarial measure.
Israel toward France
+15Israel has participated in bilateral scientific and security cooperation with France. Israeli governments have also criticized French positions and initiatives concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines ongoing scientific and security cooperation with recurring disputes over French policy on settlements and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 1967 French arms embargo was a major rupture, but the relationship has not been defined solely by confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
France and Israel maintain bilateral scientific and security cooperation, alongside significant political disagreements. France has supported Israel’s security while opposing settlement expansion and advocating a two-state solution; its 1967 arms embargo marked a major rupture. Disagreements have also surfaced over French policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Areas of tension
- French opposition to Israeli settlement expansion
- Disagreements over French diplomatic initiatives and positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Key developments
France imposed an arms embargo on Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
France and Israel established a bilateral framework for scientific and technological cooperation through a High Council.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of bilateral security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of recent government-backed scientific cooperation is unclear.
- The precise effects of France’s diplomatic initiatives on bilateral ties are uncertain.