Pictured Above: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron make a joint appearance Sunday in Paris. Credit: YouTube.

(JNS.org) At a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the “Vel' d'Hiv” Holocaust-era roundup of French Jews, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday lauded France’s President Emmanuel Macron for condemning anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.

“We will never surrender to the messages of hate. We will not surrender to anti-Zionism because it is a reinvention of anti-Semitism,” Macron said.

Macron condemned Holocaust denial and accepted France’s responsibility for the July 1942 Vel' d'Hiv, in which French police implemented a Nazi-ordered roundup of 13,000 Jews ahead of their deportation to the Auschwitz death camp.

“It is indeed France that organized” the Vel' d'Hiv, Macron said, adding, “Not a single German [participated].” 

Macron also appeared to denounce his former competitor in the French election, far-right populist Marine Le Pen, by condemning “politicians who are prepared to reverse the truth.” During her election campaign, Le Pen had stated, “I don’t think France is responsible for the Vel' d'Hiv.”

Netanyahu, who was was the first Israeli head of state to deliver an address at the annual Vel' d'Hiv memorial event, praised Macron for standing “boldly and proudly” against anti-Semitism. 

“You clearly condemn and fight anti-Semitism, and you clearly condemn and fight this larger militancy that seeks to destroy our world,” said Netanyahu.

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