Israeli Airline El Al’s Paris Offices Vandalized Amid Rising Anti-Jewish Violence, Tensions in France

The Paris offices of Israeli airline El Al were vandalized, with walls and doors defaced by antisemitic graffiti and pro-Palestinian slogans, amid a sharp rise in anti-Israel sentiment and a wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes targeting France’s Jewish community.

On Thursday morning, employees arriving at El Al’s Paris offices discovered the building had been vandalized with spray-painted slogans, including “Palestine will live, Palestine will win,” “To hell with Zionism,” and “Genocidal airline El Al.”

Shortly after the discovery, the Israeli airline pulled all personnel from the French capital, with a foreign company taking over customer services at the terminal.

In a press release, the airline confirmed the incident occurred while the building was empty and that no employees were at risk.

“El Al takes the incident very seriously and is actively cooperating with the authorities, adhering to the guidance of officials in both France and Israel,” the statement read.

“The airline proudly displays the Israeli flag on its planes and strongly condemns all forms of violence, particularly antisemitism,” it continued.

French authorities have opened an investigation into group acts of vandalism or property damage driven by motives of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev condemned this latest incident on social media, urging local authorities to take swift action to investigate and prevent further antisemitic attacks.

“Today it’s El Al, tomorrow it’s Air France,” Regev said in a post on X. “When French President [Emmanuel] Macron makes announcements that give gifts to Hamas, this is the result.”

Regev appeared to be referring to Macron’s recent announcement that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Israeli officials have described the move as a “reward” for Palestinian terrorism that will embolden Hamas to continue fighting in Gaza.

“I condemn the barbaric and violent act against El Al and expect the law enforcement authorities in France to locate the criminals and take strong action against them,” the Israeli official continued.

אזרחי צרפת תתעוררו!

היום זו אלעל מחר זו אייר פרנס.
כשנשיא צרפת מקרון יוצא בהכרזות שנותנות מתנות לחמאס זו התוצאה.

אני מגנה את המעשה הברברי והאלים נגד אלעל ומצפה מרשויות החוק בצרפת לאתר את הפושעים ולנקוט נגדם ביד קשה. pic.twitter.com/vnuzK8Sb4g

— מירי רגב (@regev_miri) August 7, 2025

Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, France has experienced a troubling surge in anti-Jewish violence across the country.

The local Jewish community has consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.

On Tuesday, a primary school in Miramas, a town in southeastern France, was vandalized with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian graffiti, featuring slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “Israel murderer,” and “Macron accomplice to crimes.”

In late May, three synagogues and a Jewish restaurant in Paris were vandalized with green paint, and the city’s Holocaust memorial was defaced twice. In Lyon, swastikas and hateful slogans were found on the walls of a primary school, which was also set on fire.

Antisemitism in France continued to surge to alarming levels across the country last year, with 1,570 incidents recorded, according to a report by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) – the main representative body of French Jews.

The total number of antisemitic outrages in 2024 was a slight dip from 2023’s record total of 1,676, but it marked a striking increase from the 436 antisemitic acts recorded in 2022.

In late May and early June, antisemitic acts rose by more than 140 percent, far surpassing the weekly average of slightly more than 30 incidents.

The report also found that 65.2 percent of antisemitic acts last year targeted individuals, with more than 10 percent of these offenses involving physical violence.

The surge in anti-Israel sentiment and escalating antisemitic attacks come amid a tense political climate in France, where Macron announced his plans to recognize a Palestinian state as part of the country’s “commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Macron is advocating for this diplomatic effort and encouraging other countries to follow suit, even though nearly 80 percent of French citizens oppose the initiative, according to recent polling.