By: Fern Sidman

The entrance to the Paris offices of Israel’s national airline, El Al, was defaced Thursday by unidentified vandals who splashed red paint and scrawled incendiary anti-Israel slogans across the doorway — a brazen act that drew immediate and forceful condemnation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

According to a report that appeared in The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), the attack was carried out using stencils and spray paint to inscribe messages such as “El Al Genocide Airline” and “Palestine will live, Palestine will win.” The perpetrators also hurled red paint across the entrance, symbolically invoking blood imagery in a stunt that Israeli officials have linked to intensifying waves of antisemitism and hostility toward Israel in Europe.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded rebuke in the hours following the incident, denouncing the vandalism as a “cowardly and antisemitic attack” that specifically targeted El Al aircraft for the prominent Israeli flags they bear on their tails.

“We strongly condemn the attack on El Al airline, whose planes bear the Israeli flag, and call on the French government to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of the company’s staff and offices,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by JNS. “The antisemitic attacks in France must be dealt with the utmost severity, and more must be done to combat this poisonous disease.”

Shortly after the incident, Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka visited the vandalized site and held a direct conversation with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted the ambassador’s visit as a critical gesture of solidarity with El Al staff and a signal to French authorities of Israel’s expectation for swift action.

French police have not yet released details regarding suspects or potential security footage related to the incident. However, Israeli officials, including Transport Minister Miri Regev, have pointed the finger at what they describe as the French government’s increasingly anti-Israel posture since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023.

Writing on X, Regev blamed the incident not only on the perpetrators but also on France’s political leadership.

“Today it’s El Al. Tomorrow it will be Air France,” she warned. “When French President Emmanuel Macron issues declarations that benefit Hamas, these are the consequences. I condemn this barbaric and violent action against El Al and expect French law enforcement officials to identify these perpetrators and pursue decisive measures against them.”

JNS reported that El Al’s spokesperson dismissed media reports claiming that airline staff in Paris had been evacuated. “There is no evacuation,” the spokesperson told JNS, clarifying that operations continue as normal despite the visible damage to the company’s offices.

Thursday’s attack comes at a time of considerable diplomatic strain between Paris and Jerusalem. According to the information provided in the JNS report, bilateral relations have been under increasing pressure since Hamas launched its surprise invasion of Israel in October 2023 — a brutal campaign that killed some 1,200 civilians and led to the abduction of 251 hostages.

Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza, which is aimed at dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure and securing the release of the hostages, has sparked intense international criticism, particularly in Western Europe. France, once seen as a relatively even-handed actor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has taken a pronounced turn in recent months that many in Israel view as increasingly hostile.

JNS has frequently highlighted France’s policy shifts, including its July 24 announcement that it will officially recognize a Palestinian state this coming September. The decision, which could influence several other European and Western countries to follow suit, has been denounced by Israeli leaders as a move that rewards terrorism and undermines the peace process.

Moreover, President Macron’s decision to impose an arms embargo on Israel and his November 2023 description of Israeli actions in Gaza as “barbarism” further exacerbated diplomatic tensions, according to the JNS report.

The targeting of El Al — Israel’s most visible civilian brand and a frequent emblem of national identity — carries a potent symbolic weight, especially when linked to accusations of “genocide,” a term that Israel firmly rejects in the context of its military operations against Hamas.

As the JNS report noted, El Al aircraft are instantly recognizable for the blue-and-white Israeli flag painted on their tails. The airline has long operated with heightened security protocols due to the political symbolism it carries and the nature of the threats it faces.

“This isn’t just an attack on a company,” one Israeli official told JNS on condition of anonymity. “It’s an attack on our flag, our people, and our legitimacy to exist — carried out on European soil.”

French Jewish leaders have likewise expressed alarm over the growing number of anti-Israel demonstrations and incidents across the country, many of which, they argue, cross the line into blatant antisemitism. According to recent data from French Jewish watchdog groups cited by JNS, antisemitic incidents have increased by over 300% since October 2023.

In its statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged French authorities to step up security around Israeli diplomatic and commercial sites in the country, citing the need to ensure the safety of staff working under an increasingly hostile public atmosphere.

“We expect our allies to take concrete steps, not just issue statements,” the ministry said, again emphasizing the need to treat antisemitic acts with the full force of the law. “This was not a protest. It was an act of intimidation, and it must be prosecuted as such.”

Israel is expected to raise the issue during upcoming bilateral meetings between French and Israeli officials, particularly as both countries prepare for France’s recognition of a Palestinian state in September — a move that JNS predicts will further destabilize already frayed relations.

As the French investigation continues, the vandalism of El Al’s offices has reignited concerns over the convergence of anti-Israel activism and antisemitic violence across Europe.

JNS indicated in previous reporting that similar attacks — including the defacement of synagogues, Jewish schools, and cultural institutions — often follow high-profile political developments involving Israel. Many Jewish community organizations argue that acts like Thursday’s cannot be viewed in isolation but rather as part of a broader pattern of radicalized anti-Zionist activism turning into real-world violence.

Whether or not the perpetrators are swiftly apprehended, Israeli officials have made it clear that they view the attack on El Al as a bellwether of rising hostility and a test of France’s resolve to protect its Jewish citizens and Israeli representatives.

“Silence is complicity,” Transport Minister Regev said. “And we will not be silent