Israel's Embassy in France Condemns Removal of Damaged Flag

The Israeli Embassy in France has condemned a decision not to replace a damaged Israeli flag displayed as part of an art installation in Paris. The flag was part of "La Re-prise de la Bastille," an artwork by Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc at the Paris Design Week, which features flags of UN member and observer states made from recycled clothing, aiming to promote peace and unity.

The embassy stated that the Israeli flag, displayed prominently and under constant surveillance, was intentionally damaged. Despite the embassy offering to provide a replacement flag, Paris City Hall, the Centre des monuments nationaux, Paris Design Week, and the artists reportedly decided to remove the flag without replacement to "avoid any further deterioration of the monument." The embassy views the removal of only the Israeli flag as contradictory to the installation's stated values, calling it an "unacceptable capitulation to violence" and a form of "cultural terrorism."

The Israeli representation is demanding an investigation into the perpetrators of the damage and any potential surveillance failures. The embassy concluded, "We cannot celebrate unity by removing a flag because it was targeted. A damaged symbol must be replaced, not erased."