The Paris offices of Israeli national airline El Al were smeared with red paint and pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel graffiti overnight, Israeli officials and the airline said on Thursday.
Pictures posted online showed the doors of the offices covered in paint and the words “Free Palestine” daubed in several places in a number of languages, along with graffiti reading “El Al genocide airline.”
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot condemned the “acts of vandalism” on X, saying that “acts of hatred and antisemitism have no place” in France.
Authorities have opened an investigation into acts of property damage committed on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or religion, Paris’s public prosecutor’s office told AFP.
In a statement, El Al said the incident took place while the office was empty and that none of its workers were endangered. It said it was working with local authorities to deal with the “severe” act.
“El Al proudly flies the Israeli flag on the tails of its planes, and condemns any type of violence, particularly like these with an antisemitic background,” it said.
Les bureaux parisiens de la compagnie israélienne El Al ont été vandalisés par des militants pro-palestiniens.
En conséquence, El Al a décidé de suspendre la présence de ses équipes à Paris jusqu’à nouvel ordre.
Ce climat de haine est insupportable !
Soutien total à El Al. pic.twitter.com/4QAJYv6n64
— Jérémy Benhaïm (@JeremBenhaim) August 7, 2025
The Israeli Embassy in France also shared pictures of the vandalism online, blaming “a climate of violent and unrestrained incitement by certain French elected officials,” without specifying individuals.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev wrote on X that the “barbaric and violent act” was the result of French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France will recognize a Palestinian state next month, and called for those responsible to be prosecuted.
“French citizens wake up,” she wrote. “Today it’s El Al tomorrow, it’s Air France.”
The Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns” the vandalism.
Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka visited the scene “after speaking with the French interior minister,” the Foreign Ministry said, sharing photos of him outside the building.
Both the envoy and the Israeli Embassy in Paris “have been in continuous contact since this morning with the management of El Al’s Paris station,” it said.
Ambassador Joshua Zarka speaks in front of El Al’s Paris office on August 7, 2025. (Courtesy Israeli Embassy in France)
Zarka described the vandalism as an “act of terrorism” that aimed to “terrorize El Al employees, terrorize Israeli citizens, scare them and try to make them feel that they are not welcome.”
In a separate post on X, the ministry called on the French government “to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of the company’s staff and offices.”
“The antisemitic attacks in France must be dealt with the utmost severity,” the ministry added.
AFP contributed to this report.
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