Diplomatic incident at the Jerusalem church site, which is under French ownership

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ADDED Barrot quote, color, background, Paris summons Israeli envoy

Israeli police entered the grounds of France’s Eleona Church in Jerusalem on Thursday, briefly detaining two gendarmes and prompting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to cancel a planned visit, an AFP journalist reported.

“I will not enter the Eleona domain today because Israeli security forces entered with weapons without prior French authorization, without agreeing to leave today,” Barrot said at the scene, calling the standoff “unacceptable.”

“This violation of the integrity of a domain placed in the care of France may weaken the relationship with Israel that I came here to cultivate at a time when we all must help the region move forward toward peace.” he added.

The Foreign Ministry in Paris later announced that the Israeli ambassador was being summoned because of the incident.

The Shrine of Eleona is located on a site in Jerusalem that belongs to France and, together with three other sites in Israel, forms the French state domain in the Holy Land.

The sites have been the subject of diplomatic incidents in the past.

The national domain was assigned to France before the founding of Israel and is administered as private property by the French Consulate in Jerusalem.

The AFP journalist saw Israeli police surrounding the two French gendarmes before pushing one of them to the ground.

The gendarme identified himself and shouted “Don’t touch me” several times, said the journalist.

Both gendarmes were then taken into police cars. They were later released.

It was not clear why Israeli police had entered the site.

“The Eleona domain… has not only belonged to France for more than 150 years, but France also ensures and maintains its security,” Barrot said.

“The integrity of the four areas for which France is responsible here in Jerusalem must be respected,” he added.