Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew to Paris on Sunday evening to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, hours after representing Israel at the coronation of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican.
Herzog’s trip to France was not pre-scheduled and comes amid heightened international focus on the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. His meeting with Macron follows recent criticism by the French president of Israel’s government. Herzog is expected to return to Israel later Sunday.
During the Vatican ceremony, Herzog wore a sticker on his suit that marked 590 days since the hostages were taken. According to a statement from his office, he wore the sticker as a sign of solidarity with the hostages' families and to draw international attention to their plight. “The president aimed to call for their immediate release and urged the international community to act,” the statement said.
Herzog thanked Pope Leo XIV for making the return of the hostages one of his first public appeals. “The president took the opportunity to urge the pope to continue advocating for their return,” his office said.
While in Rome, Herzog also met with several world leaders attending the coronation, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dutch President Dick Schoof, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Spanish King Felipe VI, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had considered attending the Vatican ceremony, and diplomatic contacts were made with the Italian government and the Vatican. However, due to concerns that the International Criminal Court in The Hague could enforce an arrest warrant issued against him, Netanyahu ultimately decided not to travel.
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Herzog used the occasion to hold diplomatic meetings with international leaders gathered in Rome for the coronation.