Safra Square in Jerusalem.
Photo: Atta Awisat
France: 'Palestinian territory' in West Jerusalem too
A job advertisement published by the French consulate in Jerusalem refers to Safra Square in the west of the city as 'Palestinian territory,' even though its office is also based in West Jerusalem. The Foreign Ministry responds: 'They should learn history and geography.'
Another diplomatic spat with a European country occurred recently when the French consulate published a job advertisement referring to a landmark in West Jerusalem as "Palestinian territory."
Safra Square, which is firmly within the western part of the city, was designated "Palestinian territory" in an advert that the French Romain Gary Institute published on the Careerjet website. The institute acts on behalf of the French consulate and is located on Safra Square.
Municipality building in Safra Square, Jerusalem. (Photo: Ata Awisat)
The institute promotes French culture and runs French language courses. The French consulate is seeking someone to oversee the library in the institute, who will also assume some kind of spokesperson role. In the job specification, it says that the place of work is in "Palestinian territory."
The ad provoked an angry response in Jerusalem, especially because there is no disputing that the institute is located in the west of the city. It is likely that someone at the consulate thought that the square is in Palestinian territory due to its proximity to the Old City.
A French consulate job ad describing a West Jerusalem landmark as 'Palestinian territory.'
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon responded: "It's a great shame that in France there are those who still do not understand that all of Jerusalem is the capital of the people of Israel, and their capital alone.
"It would be worthwhile for some French officials to learn history and geography before publishing job ads," Nahshon continued.
The French consulate's initial response was that the matter is under investigation, but that in any case "the French Institute is located in West Jerusalem and absolutely not in Palestinian territory."
According to the consulate the incident is in all likelihood a mistake and does not reflect the stance of the French government.
