In a statement published on X, Combat Antisemitism criticized the French government and Reuters for focusing attention on Israeli and American commentary during domestic riots in France. The post charged that officials and reporters chose to "turn the spotlight on Israelis and Americans discussing them," monitor view counts, and "imply a foreign campaign" in order to shift focus away from the crisis itself to its critics, labeling the effort "narrative manipulation" and demanding answers.
According to reporting by The Times of Israel, an internal assessment by France’s Foreign Ministry seen by Reuters concluded that social media accounts linked to Israel and the American MAGA movement promoted what French officials termed "hostile narratives" that linked the unrest to radical Islamism and immigration. The French assessment stated that the ten most-viewed posts on X from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets, and influencers accumulated more than 35 million views between October 16 and 18, far exceeding the 2.8 million views generated by the top posts from pro-Russian spheres during the same period.
The Times of Israel reported that Reuters was unable to independently verify the findings outlined in the French Foreign Ministry document. When asked for comment, French officials referred Reuters to earlier statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who remarked on October 21 that while there was no visible foreign interference behind the street protests, there had been "foreign manipulation of information." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment regarding the assessment.