Mr Macron is believed to have told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the decision to adopt the IHRA definition in a conversation Wednesday.
The announcement comes after thousands of protestors took to cities all over France to demonstrate against the recent spate of antisemitic incidents, which included an attack on nearly 100 Jewish graves at a cemetery this week.
Lawmakers in France originally resisted the definition, which was adopted last year by the European Parliament and several European Union member states.
Crif leader Francis Kalifat previously said of the definition: “When I asked political leaders and party officials what they thought about the definition and if they would adopt it, they said it would be a good idea, but I haven’t heard anything since.
“Our hope is to see this definition integrated into French law. Today, the main vector for antisemitism is anti-Zionism and this definition states clearly that anti-Zionism isn’t just criticism against Israel.”
Speaking about Mr Macron’s move to adopt the definition, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister said the definition “determines that anti-Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism.”
