France paves Armenia’s path into the "Axis of Evil" Israeli pundits analyze Macron’s risky play

The Jewish Defence League (JDL) reports that France and Iran are supplying Armenia with weapons, a move JDL claims is meant to destabilize regional peace efforts. According to JDL, France and Iran see value in prolonging the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to secure their own influence in the South Caucasus. The report highlights that Azerbaijan’s strong alliance with Israel pushes France closer to Iran, which considers Israel its primary adversary. JDL further accuses President Emmanuel Macron of pursuing a neo-colonial approach, comparing his current policies with those of France’s Vichy regime, which collaborated with Nazi Germany. This strategy, JDL argues, risks a repetition of historical mistakes, particularly in relation to Israel.

For insight into this, Caliber.Az sought opinions from Israeli experts, including Alexander Osovtsev, a former Russian politician and philosophy professor associated with the World Zionist Organization. 

Osovtsev criticizes Macron’s policies as erratic, describing them as “swinging from one extreme to another, lacking consistent direction” across both Middle Eastern and South Caucasus affairs.

"The war in the South Caucasus has concluded, and now all sides must prioritize peace,” stated Osovtsev. “Notably, victorious Azerbaijan has no aggressive designs against Armenia. The Armenian population chose to leave Karabakh voluntarily; no one forced them, and there’s no evidence to suggest otherwise. That's their right. At face value, Armenia should now be working toward peace. But instead, reports indicate Armenia is heavily rearming with assistance from France and Iran. Why? Is Azerbaijan threatening to invade Armenia’s sovereign territory? No. So why is Macron arming Yerevan?”

Osovtsev criticized Macron’s policy as “hypocritical and inconsistent,” drawing a comparison to France’s stance toward Israel. He pointed out that Macron condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and initially supported Israel’s right to self-defence, but soon after advocated an arms embargo on Israel. 

"Also, France was one of the main initiators of the condemnation of the Israeli law banning the UN mission to help Palestinian refugees on Israeli territory. I emphasise: not in Gaza, not in Palestine, but on Israeli territory!" he said.

Osovtsev further noted Macron’s opposition to an Israeli law limiting UN support to Palestinian refugees on Israeli soil, implemented after it was discovered that some Hamas militants were using the UN agency as cover — an issue Macron still opposed, which Osovtsev calls “cynical.”

In Osovtsev’s view, “France’s foreign policy is highly contradictory and self-serving, aimed solely at expanding Macron's influence.” He emphasized that the Jewish Defence League has legitimate concerns, not only about peace in Azerbaijan — a reliable ally to Israel — but also about the safety of Jews in the region who enjoy a quiet life in Azerbaijan. Osovtsev concluded, “Unlike Azerbaijan, anti-Semitic sentiments thrive in Armenia, where synagogues have been burned in the past.”

Israeli journalist and publicist Rostislav Goltsman, head of the International Relations Commission of the Union of Journalists of Israel, has remarked that President Macron, instead of fostering peace, appears to be igniting conflicts.

“And when the whole of Northern Israel was hit by rockets for a year, everything was fine, but as soon as Israel started to respond, Macron called it barbaric. It didn't even occur to the French president to demand that Hezbollah simply comply with UN Resolution 1701, passed back in 2006, which requires it to withdraw its forces beyond the Litani River and stop shelling Israel. Macron doesn’t even bring this up. Therefore, all of Macron's actions fit into this aggressive paradigm, including in the South Caucasus. He is pumping arms into Armenia, fuelling revanchist sentiments. Why? Obviously, he is pushing it to a new war, which will finally destroy this country.

What is frightening is that Armenia, through the efforts of France, is joining the ‘Axis of Evil’, of which Iran is also a part. What does France strive for, so often talking about peace, but in fact provoking wars in various parts of the world? This is what the report of the JDL tells us about, expressing extreme concern,” Goltsman stated.