Barrot told reporters that Israeli armed security forces entered the site, which is owned by France and administered by the French consulate in Jerusalem, without French authorization and initially refused to leave. The church is one of four French-owned sites in Israel and has been the scene of diplomatic incidents in the past.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it would summon Israel’s ambassador over the incident in the coming days.

“The situation was unacceptable,” Barrot said. He added that the incident risked straining relations between France and Israel at a time when “we must all move towards peace in the region.”

Franco-Israeli relations are increasingly strained due to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah militant group in neighboring Lebanon, a country with historic ties to France.

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an arms embargo against Israel, a comment that sparked an angry rebuff from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Macron has continued to trumpet Israel’s right to respond after the October 7 terrorist attacks, he has become increasingly critical of the Netanyahu government’s response in Gaza, where more than 40,000 People have died since last year’s Israeli invasion, and the more recent incursion into Lebanon.