Marine Le Pen, leader of RN deputies, was discreetly received on Wednesday by Joshua Zarka, Israel’s ambassador to France. No official communication was issued by either side, though the meeting was described as “positive” by a diplomatic source. The encounter occurs amid tensions in the Middle East.
Marine Le Pen met Joshua Zarka, Israel’s ambassador to France since 2023, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. According to RCJ radio, confirmed by Le Figaro, no official announcement was made by either Le Pen’s entourage or the Israeli embassy. Unlike her meeting the previous day with Lebanese ambassador Rabih Chaer, no photo was taken, and the exchange was described as “positive” by a diplomatic source.
The meeting comes as Tel-Aviv and Beirut hold direct talks in the United States for a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Le Pen supported Israel for two years in its fight against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 civilians. In spring 2025, she stated that the Jewish state “is doing what it can in an extremely difficult situation,” facing a “terrorist movement hiding among civilians.”
Recently, she distanced herself, calling in early April to “protect Lebanon” after strikes on Beirut and backing Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to include Lebanon in a regional ceasefire. She acknowledged Israel’s “right to defend itself” while urging it to “respect international law rules.”
The encounter helps Le Pen build ties with diplomatic circles and France’s Jewish community. Jordan Bardella visited Israel in March 2025, and she has promised an official trip if invited.
