French news outlets revealed that there is a clan war among Emmanuel Macron’s advisors in the Elysee, as the stance of the French president on the Israel-Hamas conflict is causing internal division.
“The atmosphere is toxic at all levels,” a close advisor to the President told French Radio Europe 1.
These internal quarrels are fueled by the distrust of a segment of the President’s entourage towards his strategy and that of communications advisor Frédéric Michel, who also denounced “jealousies” and “clan struggles.”
As a result, Emmanuel Macron may be tempted to make significant changes. His deputy chief of staff, Pierre-André Imbert, who has been appointed ambassador to Australia, is already preparing to leave. Émilie Piette and Constance Bensussan will succeed him in early December. The Chief of Staff, Patrick Strzoda, is also said to be leaving at the age of 72.
The indispensable Alexis Kohler, who has been with Emmanuel Macron for nine years, is reportedly on the verge of leaving his position as Secretary General of the Élysée. Rumors of a revolution at the palace are accompanied by another rumor of a cabinet reshuffle, as two ministers are already threatened with scandal-related convictions: Éric Dupond-Moretti and Olivier Dussopt.
All of these internal tensions are exacerbated by what is occurring in the Middle East.
“Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatically unstable and unclear stance regarding Israel’s response to Hamas are not without explanations. The President, who has been calling for the conflict not to be imported into France for a month, can see that it is already present at the Élysée,” added Europe 1.
One of his advisors reported that the Israel-Hamas conflict has deeply fractured the team, to the point that some people are not speaking to each other anymore.
“Some are not far from thinking that Hamas is a resistance movement,” added the high-ranking source. “This is how even the executive can regretfully reflect the thinking of a segment of society.”