Moroccan-Dutch imam Youssef Msibih was suspended from his position at Bilal Mosque in Alkmaar after joining a controversial delegation of European Muslim leaders who met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem. The visit sparked strong backlash from Muslim clerics in the Netherlands, who denounced it as a betrayal of Islamic values amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
In October 2023, Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged President Emmanuel Macron to follow the lead of the United States and Israel on the Western Sahara issue. Today, he’s taking a different stance, seeking to distance himself from Macron.