Macron complained to Netanyahu over Israeli minister's interference in French elections

French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly slammed the interference of an Israeli minister in his country’s recent elections.

Macron spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days before the 30 June to 7 July elections, which placed a left-wing and centre alliance in the lead, in a shock win against the far-right led by Marine Le Pen.

The president warned Netanyahu that Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli was "openly" and "blatantly" interfering in the elections by endorsing Le Pen and her National Rally party, constituting an "unacceptable" interference in French affairs.

In an interview with Israel’s Army Radio on Monday, Chikli claimed that "Macron threw the Jewish community under the bus, and I stand behind this statement."

Earlier this month, Chikli told Israel’s Kan Radio: "It would be excellent for Israel if [Marine Le Pen] were the president of France, ten exclamation points. In my opinion, it would be good for the State of Israel."

Netanyahu vowed to prevent such statements from his ministers in the future, according to journalist Barak Ravid, who initially reported on the phone call between the two leaders.

The diaspora minister is said to have acted independently, as other senior Israeli officials rushed to condemn any interference in France’s internal affairs and warned that Chikli’s comments were harmful to bilateral relations with Paris."

Chikli had met Le Pen at a rally for the far-right Vox party in Spain, saying he "was very impressed by some of the things she did" and described the atmosphere of the gathering as "very pro-Israel".

Like many hard-right and populist parties in Europe, National Rally takes a strongly pro-Israel line and is more focused on immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries, and the so-called Islamisation of France.

France’s far-left New Popular Front won the largest number of seats in the final round of snap parliamentary elections, with Macron’s centrist coalition finishing as runner ups and the far-right populist National Rally trailing in third place.