The Israeli ambassador to France has been accused of "foreign interference" after saying he would prefer "anyone rather than Jean-Luc Melenchon" to win the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking in a television interview on Thursday, Ambassador Joshua Zarka said he would rather see any candidate elected to the Elysee Palace than Melenchon, the leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), a strong supporter of Palestinian rights.
Israel's Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka, via AFPZarka also added that he met last month with Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right National Rally. His remarks triggered an immediate backlash from across the French political spectrum.
Manuel Bompard, LFI's national coordinator, described the comments as "blatant foreign interference".
"In a normal democracy, the French authorities should react and condemn this type of statement," he said.
Arnaud Le Gall, an LFI MP responsible for the party's international relations, said Zarka had breached the neutrality expected of diplomats.
"He's a diplomat stationed in France. He's supposed to maintain neutrality in the country where he's posted. So tell him to keep his mouth shut," Le Gall said.
The criticism was echoed by Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, who called the ambassador's comments "unacceptable interference".
"The French people will decide their own future," Faure said. "No one is surprised to see an envoy of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu openly admitting his ties to the French far right."
Zarka's remarks also drew criticism from the right. Nathalie Loiseau, a member of the European Parliament from the Horizons party, described Zarka's comments as "clear interference in our domestic political life" and said they were "totally inappropriate" for a foreign ambassador.
🇮🇱🇫🇷 Joshua Zarka dénonce une crise diplomatique sans précédent entre la France et Israëlhttps://t.co/rZxuIE9es0
— i24NEWS Français (@i24NEWS_FR) June 5, 2026During the interview, Zarka acknowledged that Israeli officials had previously avoided formal contact with leaders of Le Pen's party, but argued that the movement had changed.
"The National Front had a clear antisemitic tendency," he said, referring to the party's former name. "The National Rally has changed."
Tyler Durden Sat, 06/06/2026 - 09:20One week after Ferrari unveiled its first-ever all-electric car, called the Luce, the design continues to divide analysts. Some referred to the new model as a "mix between a Honda Accord EV and a Tesla," while others said that Tesla's Model S Plaid was far superior. The latest report from Goldman analysts provided new details about their most recent visit to Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello.
Last Friday, Ferrari hosted an investor day, which analyst Christian Frenes attended. He spoke with top Ferrari executives just days after the Luce reveal event in Rome earlier in the week.
Frenes said management framed the Ferrari Luce as an "additive range model designed to expand the customer base."
He continued:
Management reaffirmed the Luce as a strategic entry point to engage new demographics and regions, particularly in markets with higher BEV penetration such as Asia and the Nordics while also targeting a new and younger customer group. The exterior design intentionally distinguishes the EV from existing ICE and PHEV models. Management also reaffirmed it remains aligned with its "technological neutrality" approach continuing to sell V12s and V8s to those interested.
Beyond design, Ferrari's battery-powered, four-door, five-seat Luce has another problem: its price tag - a staggering 550,000 euros, or about $638,660. If Ferrari expects that to open the brand to a younger, broader customer base, management certainly has a different view of the world - one that isn't grounded in reality.
For starters, Tesla's Model S Plaid costs only a fraction as much and, on key performance metrics, appears to outperform the Luce. The Model S also comes with Full Self-Driving, a feature we are fairly certain Ferrari's first EV lacks.
By the end of last week, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna appeared to be on damage-control duty after shares dropped in response to negative investor reaction to the Luce's design and performance specifications.
crazy.. pic.twitter.com/DTNVAYNPZX
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) May 27, 2026Let's not forget that Ferrari hybrids are depreciating faster than their petrol-powered counterparts. This is a sign that car collectors are shunning anything electric (read the report).
Shares have yet to recover to pre-Luce reveal levels.
Beyond the terrible design and high price, one could debadge the Luce, and it would be hard to decipher the car from a Kia or Toyota or even a Nissan ...
Ferrari Luce, explained pic.twitter.com/F0vRf03cwj
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) May 26, 2026That problem itself has infuriated Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the former Ferrari president, who told local media that the Luce "risks destroying a legend, and I'm deeply sorry. I hope they at least remove the Prancing Horse from that car."
American automotive YouTuber Doug DeMuro said Luce has the specs of a "nice Polestar" .. .
Professional subscribers can read the full Ferrari note at our new Marketdesk.ai portal.
Tyler Durden Sat, 06/06/2026 - 08:45