Paris, France - French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Israeli athletes were "welcome" for the Paris Olympics, rejecting calls from some left-wing French MPs and the Palestinian Olympic Committee for a boycott.

"Israeli athletes are welcome in our country. They must be able to compete under their colors because the Olympic movement has decided it," he told France 2 television in an interview, adding that it was "France's responsibility to provide them with security."

"I condemn in the strongest possible way all those who create risks for these athletes and implicitly threaten them," he said.

Discussing the opening ceremony for the Olympics on Friday as helicopters could be heard in the background hovering over the capital, Macron said, "We will all see on Friday night why it was worth the hassle."

Much of central Paris is off-limits ahead of the open-air ceremony along the river Seine, with 45,000 members of the security forces set to be on duty as well as 10,000 soldiers in order to prevent any incident that would ruin the show.

"There is a security challenge, and it's true for all capitals which organize the Games," Macron said. "It's true for the opening ceremony. It will be true for the whole of the Games."

"We need to come together as France that is welcoming the world," added the centrist, who called snap elections in June that have led to political deadlock in parliament.