The employees were later released following the intervention of the minister, France’s Foreign Ministry statement said. In a separate statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said an argument arose between Israeli security forces and two French security ...

France accused Israel on Thursday of harming bilateral ties after Israeli security forces entered a holy site under French administration in Jerusalem and briefly detained two French officials with diplomatic status.

The unusual incident threatened to further strain relations between Israel and France weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for an arms embargo on Israel prompted backlash from right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.