Immigration in Europe: Jews Must Give Up Israel Citizenship, Marine Le Pen Warns

Jewish people living in France who are also Israel citizens may have to give up their Israeli citizenship if a far-right wing French presidential candidate is elected. Marine Le Pen said she wouldn’t allow French citizens to maintain their citizenship in any country that was not part of the European Union, Haaretz reported Thursday.

"Israel isn't a member of the European Union, and doesn't consider itself as such," Le Pen told France 2 TV after she was asked specifically if her plan also applied to France’s Jewish community.

“I’m asking the Israelis to choose their nationality. It doesn’t mean that if they don’t choose French nationality, they have to leave,” Le Pen said.

Neither U.S. citizens nor those from North African countries would be exempt from her ban, Le Pen added. However, Russian citizens would be allowed to keep their dual-citizenship because it “has a place” in what she termed a “Europe of nations” that are “free and sovereign,” the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.

There were 475,000 Jews living in France, giving the country the third-largest Jewish population in the world after Israel and the United States. But there has reportedly been an uptick in the number of French Jews immigrating to Israel due to fears of rising anti-Semitism in Europe highlighted by attacks targeting the religion from immigrants who are also members of Islamic extremists like the Islamic State group.

A recent poll found that Le Pen, of the Front National party, would have enough votes in the first round to advance to the second balloting contest in May. French Jewish leaders have long considered Le Pen to be anti-Semitic because her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, consistently minimized the Holocaust.