Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fire for urging French Jews in the wake of the terror attacks last week in Paris to emigrate to Israel.
While his remarks were certainly undiplomatic, he is not the first Israeli leader to ruffle feathers with such calls.
Every senior Israeli politician, especially the prime minister and president has the same dilemma when addressing Jewish audiences from the diaspora. Essentially, they are talking to a group of potential customers who have rejected the brand the politician represents. These Jews may be Zionists and staunch supporters of Israel, but the basic reality is that they have chosen to live their lives outside the Jewish state.
On one hand, there is an unspoken expectation back home that Israel's leaders stand up for aliyah and remind those lost brothers and sisters where their real homeland is. And politicians are well aware that domestic voters will be listening when they address diaspora Jews.
On the other hand, no Israeli politician wants to anger the diaspora - it is an important source of political and financial support, including a major portion of the funding for primaries campaigns.
In addition, the leaders of the host country are watching, and in many cases, these are valuable strategic allies who will bristle at the suggestion that their Jewish compatriots would be safer elsewhere.
In the case of France, however, things are slightly different.
Not only is the number of French Jews moving to Israel steadily rising, but many families there are constantly travelling to Israel, for holidays, family simchas and scouting out opportunities to buy second homes.
Add to that the fact that the current French government (and some of the previous ones) have been a lot less steady in their diplomatic support of Israel.
For Mr Netanyahu, the political price for hurting French feelings, and suggesting in the wake of antisemitic murders that its Jewish citizens would be better off in Israel, just as Ariel Sharon did a decade ago, is worth paying. Especially when there's an election on.
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