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January 22, 2020 French President Emmanuel Macron lost his temper with Israeli security officers during a visit to the French church of St. Anne in Jerusalem. Macron, Ap reports, angrily ordered a policeman to leave the premises.The reason for the French president's concern is unknown, but the Israeli media said he asked the police officers around him to "respect the rules as they have been for centuries. They won't change with me." The misunderstanding reminded many of a 1996 visit by the then French President Jacques Chirac, who also got angry with the Israeli security that accompanied him to Jerusalem. "What do you want me to get back on my plane and return to France?" Chirac had shouted then.
Macron later "apologized for the accident, shook hands with security personnel and continued his visit" to the Old City, said Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, about the spat.
"When the delegation arrived at the church - continued the Shin Bet spokesman - there was a discussion between French and Israeli security on entry into the place with the French president. Macron asked that the rules of the place be respected , and under the terms agreed in advance, a Shin Bet agent and a police officer escorted the French president and his delegation inside. "
Israel has deployed thousands of policemen to protect dozens of world leaders, including Macron, who arrived in Jerusalem for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz ceremony.