Israeli athletes will receive 24-hour protection during the Paris Olympics, France’s interior minister said on Sunday, after a lawmaker said Israel’s delegation was not welcome and called for protests against their participation.

At a time of increased geopolitical tensions due to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, there are serious security worries around the opening of the Games on Friday. The left in France has taken a strong stand against Israel’s war on Hamas, which has destroyed Gaza, with some accusing pro-Palestinian activists of antisemitism.

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French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said in a TV interview Sunday that Israeli athletes would be protected around the clock during the Games, 52 years after the Munich Olympics massacre in which 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian militants.

Foreign minister Stephane Sejourne told a meeting of European Union counterparts in Brussels on Monday: “I want to say that on behalf of France, to the Israeli delegation, we welcome you to France for these Olympic Games.”

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He said he would emphasise that point in an imminent phone call with his Israeli counterpart, and also “tell him that we are ensuring the security of the Israeli delegation.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty