Former French envoy to Israel faces backlash following misogynistic tweet

Araud had been France's ambassador to Israel between 2003 and 2006, ambassador to the US from 2014 to 2019, and France's permanent representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2014.

By TAMAR URIEL-BEERI
France's ambassador to the United States, Gerard Araud (photo credit: REUTERS)
France's ambassador to the United States, Gerard Araud
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The former French ambassador to Israel Gérard Araud faced a major backlash after tweeting on Saturday an expression about “the difference between a lady and a diplomat” which suggested that women who say “no” do not mean it and that women who say “yes” are not ladies.
The tweet, which was deleted Sunday afternoon following the massive backlash, was responding to Twitter user Gary Girod, who had tweeted the quote by Robert Frost: “A diplomat is someone who always remembers a woman’s birthday, but never her age.”
Araud responded by saying that the difference between a lady and a diplomat is that “When a lady says No, it means maybe,” suggesting that women who are refusing something – often interpreted as referring to romantic advances – do not actually mean that they are totally refusing.
Former French ambassador to Israel Gérard Araud tweeted a misogynistic post about women and consent (Credit: Twitter screenshot)
Former French ambassador to Israel Gérard Araud tweeted a misogynistic post about women and consent (Credit: Twitter screenshot)
“When maybe, it’s Yes and when Yes, she is not a lady,” he continued, suggesting that women who agree to a courtship up front are not well-mannered.
The tweet received major backlash online, with Twitter user @MarySheep saying, “This sort of ‘joke’ is normalizing misogyny and it’s disgusting, not funny.”
Former French ambassador to Israel Gérard Araud tells a Twitter user to have "a bit of humor" after tweeting a misogynistic message
Former French ambassador to Israel Gérard Araud tells a Twitter user to have "a bit of humor" after tweeting a misogynistic message
“A little humor, you say, but rape culture is not funny at all and these kinds of jokes are part of it all,” Twitter user @iroughol responded. “It’s even more problematic considering the size of the audience and the amount of influence you have.”
Twitter user @phyleaux responded, “Actually, when a woman says ‘no’ it means no. Your tweet is just ancient misogyny. I am very disappointed in you,” to which Araud responded, “A bit of humor please...”
The former ambassador did not respond to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment.

Stay updated with the latest news!

Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter

Subscribe Now
In the middle of the night on Sunday, Araud tweeted an apology, saying, "I heard you. I learnt. I am sorry."
Araud was ambassador to Israel between 2003 and 2006, permanent representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2014, and ambassador to the US from 2014 to 2019.


Related Tags
United Nations
ambassador
misogny