The consulate is located near the Old City of Jerusalem, on Paul Emile Botta Street, named after French archaeologist Paul-Émile Botta
It began its tumultuous history in the early 17th century. In 1535 the first capitulation between France and the Ottoman Empire granted France the right to appoint consuls in the cities of the Empire.Hershlag Zvi Yehuda. Introduction to the modern economic history of the Middle-East. E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands (1980) The capitulations constituted the legal basis of the French protectorate over the Holy Places, Catholic Christians, and by extension, Orthodox Christians. In 1623, King Louis XIII appointed the first consul in Jerusalem "for the Glory of God and to relieve the pious pilgrims who by devotion visit the Holy Places." The presence of consuls in Jerusalem was intermittent until 1843. Amidst the growing competition between European powers over the exclusive protectorate that France was entitled to exercise over Christians, the rank of the Consul in Jerusalem was raised to that of a Consul General in 1893.(1901)
Despite the abolition of France's protectorate over the Latins and the Turkish-ruled Holy Places in 1914, the Consulate General tried to maintain and expand its influence in Palestine. Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem has held the status of a quasi-embassy. The consulate is responsible for the area of the corpus separatum and the occupied West Bank. The consulate's districts include Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Consulate General is independent from the Embassy of France in Tel Aviv and does not have official diplomatic relations with Israel. (2002) All contacts with the State of Israel lie exclusively within the jurisdiction of the embassy in Tel Aviv. Since its establishment in 1994, the consulate has been the French diplomatic representative to the Palestinian National Authority., (1996), p.943
History
Ottoman era
France's special status Following the signing in 1525 of the first capitulations by Suleiman the Magnificent and Blaise de Montluc, Ambassador of King Francis I to Constantinople, France was granted the right to protect its subjects residing or trading in the Ottoman Empire, the Christian Holy Places in the Empire, particularly those in the Holy Land, and to appoint consuls in the cities of the Empire. The capitulations constituted the legal basis of the French protectorate exercised over the Holy places, Catholic Christians, and by extension over Orthodox Christians. France was then granted a special status in the Holy Land.
After an incident involving the Franciscans and the Armenians at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, King Louis XIII was called upon to restore the rights of the Latins. Louis XIII sent the French diplomat Louis Deshayes de Cormenin who achieved a certain success. (1996), p.932 It was then that King Louis XIII decided to appoint a Consul in Jerusalem "for the Glory of God and to relieve the pious pilgrims whom by devotion visit the Holy places."
In accordance with the terms of the treaty, and following a series of negotiations of the French Ambassador in Constantinople, the first consul in Jerusalem was nominated in 1621 by King Louis XIII. The first Consul-General, Jean Lempereur arrived in Jerusalem in 1623. (1996), p.930 Dror Ze'evi describes in his book the circumstances of his arrival as follows :
"Bearing a royal Ottoman decree, he proceeded to the city with an impressive entourage, and finally presented his credentials to a haughty and reserved local qadi. He was allowed to reside in the Christian neighborhood, provided he would pay at some later date a sum of money promised in the decree."Ze'evi Dror. An Ottoman Century, The district of Jerusalem in the 1600s. State University of New York. (1996). p.21
But his presence was not well received by the local authorities. Jean Lempereur was later detained and deported to Damascus. He had to pay a large ransom to be released by his captor.Ze'evi Dror.An Ottoman Century, The district of Jerusalem in the 1600s. State University of New York. (1996). p.21 His successors were equally ill-received, and their presence in Jerusalem became short and sporadic. For example, Jean Lempereur was consul for four years (1621–1625), and later replaced by Sébastien de Brémond (1699–1700) and by Jean de Blacas (1713–1714)., (1996), p.932
A disputed status The nineteenth century was marked by European powers' growing and conflicting interests in the Levant. The United Kingdom, Russia, Prussia, along with other European countries, tried to expand their influence by extending their control over religious communities. As a result, France's protectorate over Christians became contested and rivaled. For example, in 1841, an Anglican Bishop was nominated in Jerusalem, which was considered to be a diplomatic victory for Britain and Prussia. In 1847, the first Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, headed by Archimandrite Porphyrius Ouspensky, who later became Bishop, was sent to Jerusalem. Otherwise, European powers came to be represented by Consuls in Palestine. The appointment of a British consul in 1838 was followed by the appointment of a consul of Prussia and of Sardinia in 1843, and by the appointment of an Austrian consul in 1849 and of a Spanish consul in 1854. (1996), p.933 Alphonse d'Alonzo, former attaché to the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, wrote in 1901 that the Russian and the French Consuls were "irreconcilable rivals". (1901)
Amidst this growing competition between European powers, the Consul of France, Count Gabriel de Lantigny, decided to create Brothers of Christians schools and entrusted them to a Catholic congregation, known as the Lazarists. Later, when a Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was re-established in 1847, despite France's prior reluctance to the appointment of Giuseppe Valerga as a Patriarch (mostly because he was a citizen of the rival Kingdom of Sardinia and the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Franciscan Order), the Consul General of France Helouis-Jorelle recognized Giuseppe Valerga's high distinction when he arrived in Jerusalem on January 17, 1848. The replacement of Helouis Jorelle by Emile Botta on November 1, 1848, marked the beginning of a period of collaboration between the newly appointed Consul and the Patriarch. (2002)
To maintain the primacy of the French representative in Palestine, his rank was raised to that of a Consul General in 1893.
France's special status in the Holy Land and protectorate over the Catholics of Latin rite were internationally recognized in the Congress of Berlin in 1878. It was then officially recognized by the Holy See in 1888. In addition, through the Agreements of Mytilene and Constantinople, tax and custom privileges were notably granted to religious communities placed under the protection of France, thus enabling it to confirm its protectorate. (1996), p. 933
British Mandate
End of the Protectorate over the 'Latin' Christians With the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem ceased to be placed under the authority of the embassy in Constantinople. Following the San Remo conference and the establishment of the British Mandate for Palestine, France lost its protectorate over the Holy Land, and the prerogatives of the Consul General were subsequently reduced. (1996), p.935 Catherine Niraud summarizes the situation as follows: "in early 1924, last vestiges of the protectorate exercised by France for four centuries – and unbroken except for World War I – over the 'Latin' Christians of the former Ottoman Empire disappeared. The era of the privileged French presence in Palestine and more specifically in Jerusalem (...) had come to a close." (Spring 1998)
Restoring the status quo Despite the official end of the French protectorate and a lesser role recognized by the ruling authority in Palestine, France was not inclined to diminish its influence in the region. Dominique Trimbur wrote "Paris and its representatives acted as if France still occupied the place of protective power which it had at the time of the Ottoman Empire." France sought to restore its traditional role in Palestine, to protect the Catholic communities. Dominique Trimbur stresses the role of Amédée Outrey, Consul General of France in Jerusalem from 1938 to 1941, in restoring the status quo: "for him, it (was) first of all a matter of serving as the arbitrator of the communities and of avoiding absolutely any British interference in their affairs." Through the restoration of buildings (Abbey of Abu Ghosh), maneuvers to have French citizens appointed to positions of responsibility, and the attribution of medals to the directors of seminars devoted to France, Outrée tried to restore France's historic dominance.
Cultural influence France also sought to extend its influence through the diffusion of French culture throughout Mandatory Palestine. France aspired to open a lycée français, open to all races. However, in a context marked by heightened tensions between the Arab and Jewish communities, Zionist communities strongly opposed the project and it was later abandoned. It was later revised and reborn in 1934 as a French-Hebraic high school, but was never fully utilized as a working institution.Méouchy Nadine Méouchy, Sluglett Peter. The British and French Mandates in Comparative Perspectives. Brill.(2004). p.293 Two projects finally came to fruition when Amédée Outrey was Consul General of France in Jerusalem : the French Cultural Center and a chair of French Civilization at Hebrew University were both opened during Outrey's mandate.
In a letter sent to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the director of the French Cultural Center insisted on its neutrality amidst growing tension in Palestine. He wrote in 1935 "I have the honor to inform you that in the present state of things, the center remains politically uninvolved. It is so true that it is considered pro-Jewish by the Arabs and Germans, pro-Arab by the Jews, as far as the English are concerned, they seem to not care about our label and let us work in peace."
The French Cultural Center, located on Ben Yehuda Street in the new city of Jerusalem, was equipped with a library, and hosting conferences of French lectures by writers who came to Jerusalem. The establishment of this institution was deemed to be a success.Méouchy Nadine Méouchy, Sluglett Peter. The British and French Mandates in Comparative Perspectives. Brill.(2004). p.294 The French cultural center was a major instrument in the diffusion of French culture.
Construction of the new Consulate
From 1843, the successive Consuls began to voice dissatisfaction with their housing conditions in Jerusalem; they found the living situation unhealthy, precarious and cramped. Above all, the housing conditions did not reflect France's prior rank in Palestine. In 1910, thanks to a contribution of Count Michel de Pierredon, France acquired 5,054 m2 of land in the west side of Jerusalem, next to the King David Hotel near the Old City. The architect was then selected to draw the plan of the new building. The Consul General at that time was very involved in the conception of the building as shown in the following excerpt:
Construction of the building began towards the end of 1929 and was completed three years later in 1932. The imposing Neo-Renaissance style of the building was aimed at asserting France's prior influence in Palestine, at a time when France was being deprived of its ancient prerogatives by the Mandatory Powers.
The Consul General Amédée Outrey, aware of the role France could play on a cultural level, suggested in a letter sent to the Ministry in June 1938 that concerts of modern French music could be held in "the reception rooms in the Consular residence (that) offer the most pleasant context for artistic expressions.”