PARIS CHRONICLER

Letter from France

2011-01-20T06:52:00.009+01:00

Jan 5th 2011

Are some influential people in America using the memory of the Holocaust to beat France out of business deals? Many people here in Paris seem to think so. The controversy was all over the papers a few weeks ago. After a decade of negotiations on the sale of the high-speed train to the United States, the French national railway company (SNCF) is now being held accountable for transferring Jews to Germany during World War II.

To Paris, this looks like a cheap trick to favor its main competitors, the Chinese railways and German company Siemens. And since losing the Florida and California projects would be a massive blow for France, its government decided to take action, or “wet its shirt,” as the French would say.

Both former Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his successor, Michele Alliot-Marie, met with U.S. officials and American Jewish leaders in New York and Paris.

In fact, Alliot-Marie met with an American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation on the evening she took office.

They have tried to persuade U.S. Jews that France is a world champion of Shoah commemorations.

The foreign ministry also reached out to The Jewish Journal and The New York Times so it could explain its position.

“France has done so much to commemorate the Holocaust,” Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador for human rights said, citing more than a dozen measures, including the creation of the Holocaust memorial, a “world-leading think tank” for commemoration, financial compensation for victims and emboldened school programs on the Shoah. “Perhaps we haven’t spoken out enough to let people know how much we have done. Had they been aware, they wouldn’t have reacted this way.”

When asked if he was accusing someone of attacking the SNCF for business purposes, Zimeray replied, “I have no concrete proof that this is favoritism, but if there had been favoritism, it would have been done in the exact same way.”

He went on to say that France had had similar concerns about previous deals.

“In the past, U.S. lawmakers barred the high-speed plane Concorde from entering the U.S. That was for environmental reasons supposedly. Of course, we all know how important the environment is for Americans.”

“History and business shouldn’t be intertwined,” Zimeray, a former member of the European Parliament, added. “Competitiveness should be the only criteria for business deals.”

“Unfortunately for France, Chinese companies have turned more competitive by now,” a businessman who works for the SNCF and the Chinese railways and who wishes to remain unnamed said. “They pay their employees much less than their French or German competitors, and the Chinese government funds many of their investments.”

Yet those who accuse the SNCF of not taking full responsibility quickly enough may not be entirely wrong. Until the latest accusations came from the United States, officials had never issued a proper statement of regret, such as the one they’ve now sent to America. In fact, the foreign ministry said it pushed the company to write that statement so that the deal would be sealed.

In fact, the company’s American Web site offers explanations of what happened during World War II, but they don’t appear on its French site.

Therefore, to Alain Lipietz, a former member of the European Parliament who sued the SNCF because it had transported his father to the camp of Drancy, the SNCF statement of regret has just one goal: “closing a business deal” and “is not sincere.” Lipietz said he and his family have been repeatedly criticized for suing the company.

Meanwhile, historians are still divided on the case. Is it true that the SNCF was requisitioned and had no choice but to follow the orders of the Vichy regime? Serge Klarsfeld, one of France’s leading experts on the Shoah, perhaps its No. 1 expert, said the SNCF appeared to have had no choice and that it earned no money from transferring Jews, Gypsies, communists and others to the Nazis. The money it received covered its expenses alone, according to Klarsfeld.

Other historians are less definitive. They say that no document ordering a requisition has been ever found.

The French government said it is battling anti-Semitism in the Arab world; that is what Zimeray also said. According to Zimeray, French ambassadors across the world have formed a network, organizing conferences on the Holocaust, handing out Primo Levi’s books and Anne Frank’s diary.

“In some countries, “Mein Kampf” is widely spread, while Anne Frank’s diary is banned,” Zimeray said. “We met with Arab League leader Amr Moussa about six weeks ago and told him, ‘Enough is enough!’ ”

I have great respect for Zimeray. When he was in the Parliament, he battled to get reports on how Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority was using European funds, and his party, the Socialist Party, has made him pay for that. However, I doubt that the measured diplomat addressed Moussa in those exact words.

The daughter of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is likely to replace him at the head of the National Front, France’s far-right nationalist political party, in mid-January. The elder Le Pen is retiring and his daughter Marine Le Pen seems best placed to win the party’s internal election this month. She has battled to boost her party’s approval rates and is starting to get results. According to some recent polls, Marine Le Pen is now getting support rates of more than 30 percent, almost as much as President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Her strategy: giving her party a more acceptable image by dropping the anti-Semitic attitude of her father. In order to surpass her father’s score of 17.79 percent in the 2002 presidential election, she started, right after that vote, to woo the Jewish and Israeli media. The goal wasn’t necessarily to attract Jews so much as mainstream voters who might associate her with her father’s anti-Semitic reputation. Jean-Marie Le Pen had been known and condemned for saying that gas chambers were a “detail of history” in World War II.

The French Jewish media has declined all Marine Le Pen’s invitations. And when she tried to visit Israel as a member of the European Parliament, Israel told her she wasn’t welcome.

However, her strategy is bearing fruit. Unfortunately for Le Pen, many in her own party are annoyed by her “liberal” approach, and this could make the upcoming election more difficult for her.

Now she is trying to get those far-right voters back. In a recent radio interview, she made a controversial comment on Muslims, saying that those who pray on the street (because they don’t have enough space in mosques) are “occupying” French territory, like the Nazis occupied France “but without tanks.” She added that being a Jew, a homosexual, a white person or French can be very complicated in certain neighborhoods because of fundamentalists.

All political parties criticized her remark and said she was walking in her father’s footsteps. But Marine Le Pen appears more ambitious. She is not only trying to win back far-right voters for the internal vote, she’s also trying to keep her so-called tolerant image by pretending to defend Jews and homosexuals.

The Socialist Party may inadvertently have assisted her. Reacting to Le Pen’s comment, Socialist spokesperson Benoit Hamon said that praying in the street “cannot be tolerated much longer. … We need to find solutions so Muslims would have enough areas to pray in and at the same time liberate public spaces.” It’s the first time any party other than the National Front has issued such a statement.

Many Socialists say more mosques should be built, but they don’t know where to get the money. Some political leaders suggest a reform of the law separating state and church so that public funds could be used to build new mosques.

Roma deportations 'not like Holocaust roundups'

2010-09-12T10:06:00.008+02:00

French community leaders have spoken out against the targeting of the Roma people for deportation, but rejected comparisons with the roundup of the Jews in the 1930s.

"We can't accept discrimination like the one the Roma community is facing. It's a European problem and it must be addressed on that level," said Richard Prasquier, head of the French Jewish umbrella group CRIF.

"But I was shocked by certain comparisons. The situation today is nothing like the one under the Vichy regime."

He said that most of the Roma who have been sent back to their home countries "accepted" the deportation.

"EU laws protect them in these countries," he added. "They're not sent to gas chambers. I haven't seen any hate demonstrations.

"Those who say our nation has been stained, as did former PM Dominique de Villepin, used an intolerable speech of propaganda. History should be respected."

Since January, France has deported half of the foreign Roma people living on its territory back to Romania and Bulgaria. Authorities sped up the pace of deportations this summer, after the shooting of a Roma man triggered scuffles between police and the Roma community.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he has no intention of stopping the process although critics at home and abroad - including the Vatican, UN Human Rights panel, the OSCE and various European bodies - have labelled the policy racist.

A number MEPs and a priest have compared the roundups in Roma camps to the round ups of Jews during the Second World War.

"The government's goal is obvious: It's using the Roma people to demonstrate its so-called efficiency against crime," said Malik Salemkour, head of Romeurope and vice president of the Human Rights League.

"But they're just scapegoats, an easy target. There are barely 15,000 Roma people in France and no one cares to defend them.

"They're being discriminated against, like the Jews were in the 1930s."

France's chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim said Roma were being stigmatised and called for an interreligious meeting on the issue. However, he too rejected the comparisons with the Second World War.

"I regret and condemn these exaggerations. One should ask the Gypsies what has happened in the death camps and what has happened this month of August."

Meanwhile, Interior minister Brice Hortefeux, recently convicted for racist comments about Arabs, said the deportations were solely due to high crime rates among Roma people.

He said one out of five crimes is committed by a Romanian national. Human rights groups said the study was not only biased but also illegal.

Some observers have accused President Sarkozy of bolstering the government's action against illegal immigration for political purposes.

His approval rates have dropped to a historic low and wooing far-right voters could boost his popularity before the next presidential election in 2012.

French battle to bring back 'foreign' names

2010-08-10T00:15:00.002+02:00

Dozens of French Jews have been fighting a battle that few people were aware of - they've been trying to get their family names back.

Years ago, their parents changed their "foreign-sounding'' names so they would sound French because they dreaded anti-Semitism.

But their children and grandchildren see their old names as a trail of their family history. The problem is, French law doesn't allow someone to revert to a former name. And on the rare occasions requests are considered, officials insist that the whole family must agree.

"I started by filing requests at the State Council 25 years ago, before my daughter was born. I wanted to give her my real name," said Olivier Rubinstein, now Raimbaud.

"My parents changed our name in the sixties because they did not want us to be subjected to antisemitism. They'd been through the war. After my first request, I was told I cannot reclaim what's considered a foreign name."

For 200 years French law has stipulated that family names are "immutable" and must be continued. People can change their last name if it sounds ridiculous or foreign. They can also claim another name if it's about to disappear. But this only applies to "French" names.

About a dozen people formed an association called The Strength of the Name and were received at the justice ministry and filed four new individual requests for name changes.

"We're waiting to see how this procedure goes before we decide how to move forward," said founder Céline Masson. "We insist that we're not asking to change names but to get our names back. It's completely different."

"Frenchifying" names is not a rare phenomenon in France, where assimilation has been a founding principal for centuries. Even President Nicolas Sarkozy's family changed its name, from Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa.

And the family name of Richard Prasquier, the head of France's Jewish umbrella group CRIF, was also changed. "My father changed our name when I was 15. He did it because he knew I wanted to study medicine and thought this would protect me from discrimination at school," he said. "I was a little disturbed by this but I knew he was right because a few years back that same medicine school had barred and discriminated against prestigious Jewish doctors.

"In the Jewish community, names are a trace of our family history although I wouldn't want foreign readers to think that we're suffering from injustice today. I wouldn't want this to look like a protest."

Far right extremists such as National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen accuse them of hiding their true identity so they can infiltrate the spheres of power.

This was reiterated this month in a review by an extreme right group that calls itself 'The National Radical". In an article headed "the Jews who dominate France" it listed hundreds of names of people who have succeeded in various fields and accuses them of controlling the country.

Olivier Rubinstein said: "This is exactly what pushed me to fight to get my name back 25 years ago. At the time Le Pen was citing journalists and artists who had changed their names, accusing them of concealing their identity. I thought that getting my name back would be the right thing to do. I didn't want any doubt over the fact that I never intended to change my name or hide my religion and identity."

Just missed Clotild Reiss

2010-05-18T09:47:00.003+02:00

J Call: Europe's first left-wing lobby is kicking, but is it alive?

2010-05-09T22:45:00.008+02:00

A new European group modelling itself on J Street, the left-leaning American Israel lobby, was launched at the European Parliament on Monday.

Hundreds of supporters of J Call, including MEPS and two former Israeli envoys, presented a petition asking Israel to stop its settlement activity and calling on Europe to intervene.

Headed "a European Jewish Call for Reason" and partially written by former Israeli envoy to France Elie Barnavi, the online petition has been signed by more than 4,700 people.

It asks the EU to put pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to make "the necessary moves to establish peace" and calls on Israel to stop building in the West Bank and in "the Arab districts of east Jerusalem". Leaders say they will also demand that Palestinians renounce the right of return.

"Some say our initiative hurts Israel, but it's the exact opposite: we aim to save Israel from disaster," said founder David Chemla, head of the French branch of Peace Now. "Israel cannot remain a democratic Jewish state if it keeps occupying the West Bank."

But he was unable to explain what kind of measures it wants the EU to take against Israel, adding: "We're obviously pro-Israeli and are opposed to any kind of boycott."

While MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit told the crowd, to loud applause, that "the Zionist dream is not my dream", others, including philosophers Bernard Henri Levy and Alain Finkielkraut, are known for their unwavering support for Israel. Their involvement triggered a backlash from French umbrella group CRIF, whose leader Richard Prasquier accused J Call of endangering Israel and helping its enemies.

An online counter-petition gathered more signatures than the original. But Mr Levy brushed the accusations aside.

"Debate and differences of opinion make us stronger, not weaker. It's absurd to think Zionists shouldn't express themselves," he said.

And several signatories, including Mr Barnavi, disagreed that an impartial call was necessary.

"It's a call from diaspora Jews to Israel. It would be ridiculous to balance every single statement," he said.

Signatories also rejected claims that they were attempting to override the will of Israeli voters, with former ambassador to Germany Avi Primor arguing that J Call does not stop the Israeli government from implementing its policies.

It remains unclear whether such an appeal can get significant support in Europe and whether J Call - currently only a petition - can be transformed into an effective political tool.

There is at least one British signatory - Engage's David Hirsch - but sources say that British groups which were approached declined to join until it was clear whether J Call was well received and its goals were clarified. Mr Chemla is visiting London next week to meet potential signatories.

French Jews 'unfazed' by National Front gains

2010-04-02T12:24:00.001+02:00

The far-right National Front made a surprise comeback in the French regional elections on Sunday, but the Jewish community remains largely unperturbed.

The National Front gained its best result in years, getting an average of 17.8 per cent of the vote in 12 French regions. Eighty-two-year old party leader Jean-Marie Le Pen obtained the highest share of the vote, 22.8 per cent, in the southern region of Provence, Alpes, Cote d'Azure.

The party's success was unexpected as it has been losing ground for years, particularly since Nicolas Sarkozy ran for president in 2007. But voters are now turning back to the far right.

Still, the head of France's Jewish umbrella group CRIF said the party's results do not prove the French are increasingly antisemitic.

"I've always protested against Le Pen's controversial declarations, his insulting remarks on the Holocaust, and he hasn't gotten any wiser through the years, but this does not mean his voters share his views," said Dr Richard Prasquier. "They're just extremely frustrated with the economic crisis and their vote is a form of protest.

"However I do feel that the fact that they found no other way to express their dismay is a bad sign for our democracy."

Since Mr Sarkozy was elected president, the National Front has been beset by internal rivalries and financial woes. It spent millions on campaigning and even had to put its headquarters on auction to settle its debts, but no one would buy them due to the party's negative image. Meanwhile, the party has been struggling to find a successor to its aging founder and several leaders have left the movement

The debate over who would take over after Le Pen retires seems resolved now, in favour of Jean-Marie's daughter Marine, currently the party's vice president. The 42-year old has positioned herself as the probable successor and while several party officials have criticised a succession within the Le Pen family, her impressive 22 per cent share of the vote in the regional election in the north brings her new legitimacy.

Over the past decade, Marine Le Pen has tried to change the party's image, abandoning her father's controversial style and revisionist remarks about the Holocaust. She tried to join a parliamentary trip to Israel and to approach Jewish media. But observers say she is still advocating the same policies as her father.

"She may be more polite, but her programme remains unchanged: favouring people of French descent, getting people of foreign descent to leave the country," said political scientist and far-right expert Jean-Yves Camus.

When running for president, Mr Sarkozy vowed to strip the National Front of its voters with promises of greater security in France and limited immigration. But his policies appeared to have fallen short, and now Mr Le Pen's old voters are returning to their old party.

"This is an obvious defeat for Mr Sarkozy," said Jean-Marie Le Pen after the election.

And his daughter Marine said the party will now prepare for the presidential election due in two years.

"The National movement is now a major player," she said, "a major player in the next major national election - the presidential election."

CRIF, now officially a right wing lobby?

2010-02-04T21:44:00.008+01:00

The head of France’s main Jewish umbrella group, the CRIF, denied on Wednesday that his organisation had veered to the right, but some within CRIF are questioning this. (According to liberal Crif member Gilles-William Goldnadel saying someone is on the right is not insulting, so I assume Crif won't be offended by this post).

*

An odd controversy was at the heart of Wednesday's annual dinner of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF). The organisation’s leader, Richard Prasquier, sought to explain why he had defended a man who had aimed a comment described by some as anti-Semitic at former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius.

Georges Freche, a long-time president of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France and a former member of the Socialist Party, caused a stir last month when he said one shouldn’t vote for Fabius because “he didn’t look Catholic”. Since Fabius is of Jewish descent, the remark was deemed by many to be anti-Semitic.

Fabius was offended and the Socialist Party was shocked; but Freche revealed that he got a letter of support from none other than the leader of France’s Jewish umbrella group.

Prasquier said Freche was not anti-Semitic, even though he considered his latest remark to be intolerable. Freche, who was expelled from the Socialist Party in 2007, is not new to allegations of racism. He once made waves by claiming there were too many black players in France’s national football team.

Observers say Prasquier defended Freche because of his past support for Israel. Defending the Jewish state is one of the CRIF’s main aims, as Prasquier repeated in his speech on Wednesday.

The CRIF is generally considered to be more traditional and conservative than Jewish organisations in other countries. But many say it has recently veered further to the right, while its defence of Israel has become more uncompromising than ever.

In the recent election of the CRIF’s executive committee, right-wing candidates gained significant ground. One of the winners was Gilles-William Goldnadel, a lawyer who defended journalist Oriana Fallaci when she was attacked for writing in The Rage and The Pride that Muslims “multiplied like rats” among other comments. But Goldnadel has also defended young Jews who tried to destroy anti-semitic manuals in book stores, and victims of anti-Semitic attacks. That might be one reason for his success.

Meanwhile, Socialist Party member and prominent anti-racism activist Patrick Klugman failed to make the cut. But contrary to media reports they can’t be deemed leftists regarding the Middle East. Indeed, Klugman defended the Israeli bombings on Gaza launched in December 2008 is response to Hamas rocket fire against southern Israel.

“Yes, we succeeded, that’s democracy,” Goldnadel told FRANCE 24. “The irony is that many Socialists voted for me too. People voted for us because they felt we would defend Israel better and fight against anti-Semitism in France.”

Goldnadel says the left failed to recognise the changed nature of anti-Semitism, and therefore failed to come up with an adequate response. “[The Socialists] failed to recognise it because they didn’t want to see it. Because it came from a new place they wanted to ignore,” he said, referring to claims of growing anti-Semitism among French Muslims.

In his speech, Richard Prasquier said anti-Semitic assaults had doubled in 2009, and most of the increase had taken place in impoverished suburbs. “People who live in wealthy neighbourhoods have little chance of knowing this,” he said.

CRIF figures show a spate of attacks in France mainly in January 2009, during the Israeli operations in Gaza. At that time, the Jewish organisation sought to demonstrate its support for Israel, but its marches were dwarfed by numerous rallies against the Israeli bombings on Hamas.

The Communist and Green parties, who had called for a boycott of Israeli products during the Gaza War, were excluded from Wednesday’s event by the CRIF.

Asked whether he felt lonely at the gathering, former Communist Party leader Robert Hue told FRANCE 24 “he would always come to this event”, adding that the shift to the right was “a reality not only within the Jewish community but also among the French population in general.”

For French writer Marek Halter, the shift to the right marks a loss of hope for a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “It’s just like in the Middle East itself. The left in Israel is weaker because of the circumstances. Peace seams unattainable. So pro-peace parties fail to gather support. But everything can turn around with a little spark of hope.”

At the dinner, the CRIF appeared at times more right-wing than the conservative politicians who were present. Christine Boutin, a former minister and a staunch conservative, even told FRANCE 24 she was “concerned about the CRIF moving too far to the right”.

But, as he wrapped up his speech, Prasquier dismissed such fears. “We’re not right or left-wing,” he told the audience. “We’re Jews, Republicans, French – and proud to be so."

Burkini 1, Mikveh 0

2009-09-04T12:11:00.014+02:00

Muslim lobbying for religious rights in France has had a certain impact on Jews, who feel that their own, similar requests are being brushed away.

“Things have got worse since more and more Muslims started pushing demands, sometimes with political motives. Now we’re compared to assertive pushy militants and our own requests are denied outright,” said Marc Djebali, vice president of the Jewish community of Sarcelles, a suburb north of Paris. “Now officials tell me: ‘we can’t accept this, this is a secular state’.”

Sarcelles is the home of one of France’s largest and more assertive Jewish communities. In a way it pioneered the controversial trend of French minorities lobbying the secular government for religious rights, known as communautarisme — community activism.

But over the past few years it has been lagging behind the local Muslim community, which has been better able to get its traditions recognised in schools and work places.

“Ten years ago, kosher meals were offered to kids in our neighbourhood school. Today, they can only get halal,” said Mr Djebali. “Principals tell me halal is normal, "natural" even, but kosher is just too comlicated"

"Numbers, it's all about the numbers. The Muslims are not a small minority like us. Their requests are examined seriously," says Djebali.

The feeling that the community was being put at a disadvantage by the Muslim requests became stronger this summer, after comments by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy sparked a public debate over whether the Muslim burka should be banned. Calls to similarly examine Jewish clothing soon followed.

“Jewish men who wear hats and ringlets are just like Muslim women with their burka. They’re proselytising,” said Yves Pras, head of the Europe Secularity organisation. “Maybe this clothing should be banned from all public places, like smoking.”

Although France defines itself as secular and in 2004 its parliament adopted a law banning religious clothing — such as veils and skullcaps — in public schools, Islam has made its way into French tradition and society.

Dozens of schools are now offering halal meals; one school in Paris even offers halal meals exclusively. Meanwhile, a number of pools have arranged separated bathing hours for women, a trend which began in the Jewish community of Strasbourg, and later in Sarcelles, where, for the past 15 years, women have also had a female lifeguard.

In university, students still have to attend exams on Saturdays and holidays. This is a regular sticking point and every year France’s chief rabbi tries to negotiate with universities to find suitable dates.

Muslim holidays are increasingly respected in the office, according to a study by the professional association IMS-Entreprendre.

Ramadan is the first non-Christian holiday to be officially recognised in French companies. Many offices have adjusted their schedules in the afternoons to accommodate tired fasters, and others have set up prayer rooms where fasters can rest. Carmaker Renault was one of the first to reorganise its timetable for Muslim employees.

But IMS-Entreprendre considers other demands, such as leaving early on Friday night, “excessive”.

“Everything depends on the number of people pushing for change,” Dounia Bouzar, the author of What’s Allah’s place at the office?, told the AFP. “If 80 per cent of a company’s employees are Muslim, they’ll be making the rules.”

Halimi kidnappers to be re-tried

2009-07-14T17:42:00.012+02:00

Youssouf Fofana, the head of the gang that kidnapped and murdered 23-year-old Ilan Halimi in 2006, was sentenced to life imprisonment last Friday, but French Interior Minister Michele Alliot Marie asked for a new trial for 14 other gang members because their sentences were deemed too lenient.

The case of the self-proclaimed “Gang of Barbarians” is aparently not over. After a two-month long trial behind closed doors, the jury gave on Friday its verdict for the 27 people accused of the abduction and death of Ilan Halimi. The sentences ranged from six months to life imprisonment for the gang’s leader Youssouf Fofana who admitted killing Halimi.

But the victim’s family and Jewish community criticized the verdict, saying Fofana’s accomplices got off easy, and France’s Justice Minister Michele Alliot Marie asked the prosecution to appeal the verdict regarding 14 of the accused who got lighter sentences than the ones the prosecution had requested. (AFP picture)
The appeal was filed on Monday.Halimi’s family is now hoping the new trial will be open to the public.

“The trial was a missed opportunity. It should have explored the facts, the construction of (anti-Semitic) stereotypes and the mechanism that lead to this abduction, torture and killing of this young man,” Richard Prasquier, the head of the Jewish umbrella group CRIF told me. “I was shocked by some of the sentences because they were not strong enough, not to the dimension of what had happened. The trial shouldn’t just be Fofana’s trial. His accomplices were part of it all. Any one of them could have put an end to this ordeal at any moment.”

“The accomplices helped the killer massacre Ilan. They participated actively,” Halimi’s mother Ruth said after the verdict. “What they did is terrible. They killed Ilan because he was Jewish. But the verdict is by no means exceptional.”

Meanwhile, Defense lawyers said many of the accused had no link or knowledge of Halimi’s murder.
“They were judged for their deeds and not to set an example,” said Me Seban.

Three years ago, Youssouf Fofana organized Ilan Halimi’s kidnapping, hoping to get a ransom. The leader of the self-proclaimed ‘Gang of Barbarians’ wanted to get a Jew, any Jew, because he thought “they were rich” and would have the money to pay a ransom.
Fofana went to a street with several kosher restaurants and Jewish-owned businesses to find targets. He spotted the stored that were closed on a Jewish holiday and sent the following days several young women to seduce potential victims.

Ilan Halimi was filling in for a friend at a mobile phone shop that day, when Iranian-born Emma entered the store. Ilan asked her out on a date, and she invited him over to her home in a suburb to the south of Paris. He accepted, but when they get there, Halimi was attacked by several men who pushed him into the trunk of a car.
He was then taken to an apartment in the suburb of Bagneux and later to the sordid basement with the help of the building’s guard who gave the gang a set of keys for some money.

For 24 days Fofana tried to negotiate a deal with Ilan’s parents. But the Halimis followed police orders and refused to pay.

As Ilan’s father kept refusing Fofana’s deals, the gang of Barbarians got wilder and wilder. Several members kept beating up Halimi, and a guard even burned Ilan’s forehead with a cigarette while calling him “dirty Jew”.

Fofana eventually realized his plan had failed and decided to get rid of Halimi. The gang stripped Halimi of his clothes and drove him to another suburb, Sainte Genevieve des Bois. Fofana stabbed Halimi several times, spread petrol on his body and torched his victim. Halimi was then abandoned. He was still alive and tried to get help, but succombed when rescuers tried to get him to the hospital.

The court considered that only two of the accused had anti-Semitic motives, Fofana and one of the guards who burned Ilan’s forehead with a cigarette.
Fofana’s main accomplices who guarded the basement and tortured Halimi got 15 to 18 years and the woman who trapped him was sentenced to 9 years and could be freed in two years.

As the ruling came in on Friday night, some of the accused’s friends and families were in court and smiled at them. They cheered as some of their friends’ short sentences were pronounced. Fofana applauded the ruling.

Unraveling deceitful Judeo-Muslim dialogue

2009-01-22T13:20:00.006+01:00

French authorities are hoping that the truce in the Middle East will extend to their own territory.
Over the past three weeks, over sixty anti-Semitic incidents have occurred throughout the country: Molotov cocktails were thrown at synagogues, a dozen youths were assaulted, Jewish institutions were tagged and two Jewish artists – TV star Arthur and emblematic Sepharadi singer Enrico Macias – were prevented from performing. Meanwhile three young Muslims were targeted by a bunch of pro-Israeli militants, presumably from the Jewish Defense League and an imam known for his tolerant ways was assaulted by Muslims.

The media lashed out at Israel for its offensive and tens of thousands protested in the streets – often in support of Hamas - but a surprising poll showed an evolution in public opinion regarding the conflict. Indeed, 23% considered Hamas was responsible for the crisis, while 18% accused the Israeli government. 28% said they were both responsible and the rest couldn’t say.

The less expected effect of the war, here in France, is the collapse of the Judeo-Muslim Friendship Association, founded by Rabbi Michel Serfaty. All of its Muslim officials resigned because their Jewish counterparts didn’t openly condemn Israel for its operations.
Co-chairman Djelloul Seddiki said remaining neutral wasn’t enough: his Jewish colleagues had to condemn Israel.

Rabbi Serfaty said he was surprised, for he remained silent and expressed no support for Israel precisely to please his Muslim counterparts.
Meanwhile Djelloul Seddiki and his friends protested against Israel without mentioning Hamas’s role in the flare-up. So much for dialogue…

Rabbi Michel Sefaty (photo:UEJF)

Rabbi Serfaty is an engaging figure. The tall former basketball player, with his wide black hat and Clint Eastwood stare launched his battle for friendship after being assaulted in the street while walking to the synagogue with his son in 2003. Instead of running along, the rabbi faced his attackers and asked them to explain themselves. He then created the Jewish Muslim Friendship Association to deconstruct stereotypes.

Throughout the years the rabbi has been dragging his congregation, family and fellow Jews along in his initiatives. Every summer he drives his association’s ‘Friendship bus’ across France and neighboring countries with a number of Muslim and Jewish militants advocating dialogue. They go everywhere, from the beaches of Marseille to the rough suburbs around Paris. They don’t spare an effort. But sometimes they have to cave in and make sacrifices.

Rabbi Serfaty sided with his Muslim colleagues over the Danish Mohammad cartoons controversy. The drawings had been reprinted in a couple of French newspapers and the Muslim umbrella group CFCM decided to bring the issue to court in a lawsuit which it eventually lost.
At the time several Jewish leaders, among them former French chief rabbi Joseph Sitruk, criticized the cartoons. Rabbi Serfaty told me he wasn’t, like some French rabbis, against all cartoons criticizing religion. Mocking Moses or Jesus was fine for him. But he strongly opposed drawings criticizing Islam, saying Muslims are different. “The Christians and us have been living in this free speech environment for centuries. They’ve only just arrived. We don’t care about these caricatures but they get hurt.” When I asked him if he did not think many Muslims would be offended if treated differently from the rest of society, he responded that the important thing for him was avoiding a flare-up. “The main goal is to maintain social peace”.

It seems as if this time, condemning Israel – and Israel alone - was a price the rabbi wasn’t willing to pay, even to save his cherished association. Or was he simply taken by surprise ?

Still, Rabbi Serfaty is far from lost. If the crisis in the Middle East taught us anything, it’s that façade dialogue is useless. Uniting to settle kashrut and Hallal issues or to condemn the Jerusalem gay pride is not really a breakthrough. France needs a genuine Judeo-Muslim dialogue between religious and secular leaders.
And the crisis showed us that these leaders exist and who they are.
While tens of thousands demonstrated in the streets, a number of Muslim leaders refused to join them and repeated France had to stay away from the conflict, while respecting each others’ views on the conflict.

French minister Fadela Amara, a strong secular figure in charge of the impoverished suburbs, gathered in her ministry various associations to discuss and organize the battle against anti-Semitism and racism. This wasn’t surprising as Amara, who had strongly supported the Geneva initiative a few years back, has been fighting for tolerance and against sexism in France for years with her women’s association ‘Ni putes ni soumises’.

Imam Hassen Chalghoumi and his family, from the suburb of Drancy, have paid once again during this outburst for their tolerant approach. The imam who advocates genuine dialogue has been assaulted again and his family threatened after he denounced anti-Semitism and called for peace.
“How far will you go? Watch out!” told him North African men as he was walking down the street. Others vandalized his car and threatened him over the phone.
Chalghoumi said nothing would alter his dialogue with the Jewish community although he couldn’t stop thinking of the events in Gaza.
“People from my congregation ask me ‘why is this happening? This isn’t fair.’ And I answer ‘that’s war. It’s never fair.’”

Chalghoumi is the imam of Drancy, a town where French Jews were gathered during World War II in a concentration camp before being deported to death camps. In 2006 the imam called on all Muslims to remember that part of history and pay their respects. Following his address at the Drancy memorial his children were threatened.
A few months ago he invited Jews to participate in the festivities ending the Ramadan. Chalghoumi was attacked following his initiatives. But that didn’t stop him.

Chilling hatred in snowy France

2009-01-06T21:19:00.008+01:00

Temperatures haven't sunk so low in Paris for the past 3 decades. The streets are beautiful in the snow in the trendiest and loveliest neighbourhoods as well as in my own popular 20th quarter.
But you know what? Forget about the freezing wind. We get a much greater shiver these days when we hear about the Middle East, see Hamas flags in uptown Paris rallies, and hear about desecrated synagogues and assaulted men.

A burning car crashed into the gates of a synagogue in Toulouse, in the south east of France last night, in what appears to be the latest attack in a recent wave of anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Jonathan Guez was lecturing some members of his congregation when a stolen car was rammed into the front gate, setting it on fire.
A second car was about to be crashed into the synagogue but the attackers abandoned the vehicle with the motor running and fled the area when a security alarm was set off. Police found Molotov cocktails in the cars and is searching for three suspects who were seen running away.

The attack is the latest in a wave of incidents targeting the French Jewish community over the past week which Jewish officials have linked to the unrest in the Middle East.

A 29-year old Jewish man was beaten up in a Paris underground station by 20 young men shouting “Palestine will prevail” following a pro-Palestinian rally in front of the capital's Opera Garnier.
A car with a giant menorah was vandalized and other vehicles were set alight in front of a synagogue in the Paris area. Meanwhile, the Jewish community is following closely the investigation over an attempted murder that left a Jewish doctor in a critical condition on Friday.
70-year-old Dr Desire Amsalem had been shot in the back.
In another symbolic incident, vandals damaged the “Wall of Peace” created by Jewish artist Clara Halter who pleads for peace in the Middle East.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is desperately trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel, warned against a contagion of the Mideast conflict and called on France’s communities to remain calm.
French newspapers qualify his attempt to reach a settlement "Mission Impossible" but the public seems to appreciate his efforts in the general international apathy.
Sarkozy's defreeze with Syria - Bachar el Assad's visit in France last summer and his invitation to the prestigious July 14 Bastille Day parade - is even praised in newspapers as a clairvoyant move.

Sarkozy's Interior minister Michele Alliot-Marie gathered Muslim and Jewish officials on Monday, moments ahead of the attack on the synagogue, to discuss the recent tensions and anti-Semitic slogans in rallies against the Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.

“The conflict should by no means spread to France,” said Richard Prasquier, the head of the Jewish umbrella organization CRIF. Prasquier invited his Muslim counterpart Mohamed Moussaoui to “overcome together” the current difficulties but stressed that certain religious leaders had incited against the Jewish community.

Moussaoui, who heads the Muslim umbrella organization CFCM, condemned all violence and said he was “determined to strengthen relations with the Jewish community in these difficult times.”
Both organizations launched on November 24 common efforts to battle jointly against ant-Semitism and Islamophobia.

However the events may turn in our lovely city, one cannot ignore a strange coincidence.
Yesterday, the day a synagogue was attacked in Toulouse, was also the first day of a major trial, the trial of the three suspects in the attack against the synagogue of Djerba - one of the oldest synagogues in the world. In this al-Qaeda-sponsored attack a Muslim man crashed his explosive-loaded truck into the gates of the ancient temple - killing 21 people. It all happened on April 11, 2002. The accused deny any kind of involvement.

The invisible arm of the WJC

2008-12-28T19:59:00.017+01:00

As the World Jewish Congress is set to meet for its general assembly in January, its European branch is entrenched in an ongoing cold war between its western and eastern delegates.
On December 17, Russian businessman Moshe Kantor was easily re-elected president of the lobby with 55 votes, beating French senior challenger Roger Cukierman who got 28, but the latter, a former leader of the French umbrella association CRIF, told me the battle was far from over.

“I imagine the ongoing war between the East and the West will end with the election of the new president ?” I asked Mr Cukierman hours ahead of the vote.
“Obviously,” he answered ironically “after the election, our differences will fade away – just like in the [French] socialist party!” he said, referring to the spectacular split of the French left wing party after its internal election in November.

The French, Austrian, Portuguese and German communities have been criticising Mr Kantor’s leadership and approach, in some cases even before the billionaire took over the head of the EJC 18 months ago. Some criticise the tycoon’s soft lobbying over the Iranian nuclear issue.
“It seems that it is Mr Putin who convinced Mr Kantor of the relevance of his policies rather than the other way around…” evaluated Cukierman.

Mr. Kantor pleads for a friendly approach – working along with Moscow rather than criticising its cooperation with Tehran…but his opponents argue his stance lacks results.
Others have accused him of focusing on commemorations (Kantor financed the massive 60th anniversary of the “liberation” of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Kristallnacht commemoration in Brussels) rather than on the challenges the Jewish community is facing today.

All four communities left the lobby in 2008 after a contested vote to stretch the president’s mandate from 2 years to 4.
Some of them even considered creating a new pan-European Jewish lobby, perhaps even a partnership with the American Jewish Committee. This absolute nightmare for the EJC was averted by a thread.

“The idea of creating another European body was indeed considered for a time,” confirmed Cukierman, “but we dropped the plan when we realised it wouldn’t be effective because we would be competing with the EJC.”

The four rebellious communities came back to EJC late 2008 after Kantor accepted to hold elections as planned around June 2009. They thought they would challenge his policies from the inside, even compete for the leadership of the lobby.

But once the communities returned to the EJC, the body - which widely relies on Kantor’s 900 thousand-euro yearly contribution - announced flash elections, and the debate was cut short.

“The EJC can become a strong and influent organisation, but since the day it was created, 20 years ago, it’s a sort of sleeping beauty. It doesn’t really do much of anything,” argues Cukierman. “Our lobbying isn’t well coordinated. Simultaneous initiatives are launched separately in different countries while we should work together. We have to be in permanent contact with decision-makers and with the media in order to inform the public. We should work with the WJC. The EJC used to be its European arm.”

I asked the EJC, for which I worked during a short period of time in 2007, to send me a review of its initiatives over the past couple of years to challenge Mr Cukierman’s remarks, but it failed to do so.
Its secretary general simply told me that the inner conflict was settled and that the vote was announced on time.

Regarding the UN-sponsored Durban II conference due to take place in Geneva in April, which several countries have decided to boycott, Serge Cwajgenbaum said the EJC was still holding meetings to decide whether it would take action or not…
“We have yet to decide whether we’ll participate in the conference or boycott it,” said Cwajgenbaum.

The lobby and the anti-Semitic epidemic

Anti-Semitism is still a major concern throughout Europe. The EJC often denounces anti-Jewish assaults but it lacks an efficient strategy.

The Jewish community in France faced the problem a few years back.

“When I arrived to the head of the CRIF at the beginning of the year 2000, a new wave of anti-Semitism had just erupted – twenty synagogues and schools had been burned down, rabbis had been attacked - yet the authorities, President Chirac and the Left-wing government refused to admit it. The attackers had to specifically write anti-Semitic tags when desecrating synagogues in order for the attacks to be considered anti-Semitic.”

Today, France has solid laws which worsen verdicts in cases of anti-Semitic attacks. The next step was to get actual convictions in court.
Education is another important part of the battle as anti-Jewish stereotypes have flourished in French schools. The media of coarse can't be ignored either. An unbiased coverage is essential to win over the war on the anti-Semitic drive.
This strategy has to be extended to the rest of Europe, especially in these times of crisis in which Europe’s Jewry fears a rise of anti-Semitism.

Tears and Champagne

2008-11-21T07:23:00.002+01:00

American elections have often led Parisian voters to tears and excessive drinking.
As citizens of another country they can naturally not hope to participate in the poll, but a great number of them nevertheless stay up throughout the night, follow the vote, and, strangely enough, feel left out, like un-consulted, invisible citizens.

They gather in bars and in front of city halls, waiting for the results to fall in. In most cases, they helplessly watch the candidates they dread the most win over the vote.
This was the case in 2000 and 2004 when George W. Bush was elected. The French were probably the greatest Gore and Kerry supporters in the world. The two would have won a landslide victory had they been running for our presidential palace. That’s why Bush’s victories hurt them so deeply.

Four years ago I watched my husband’s leftist friends leave for election nights with desperate looks on their faces, I always wondered why they inflicted such pain on themselves.
Early the next morning, as the sun was rising and results came in, they wandered around downtown Paris, drowning their misery in a glass of Beaujolais in bars that remained open for the occasion.

This year’s election ended in even more alcohol and tears than in Bush’s days, but this time they were tears of joy accompanied by confetti and the cheap new Beaujolais was replaced by champagne and macaroons.

People didn’t even have to say the words. Everyone’s eyes projected happiness and relief. The French don’t disrespect John McCain, they were just relieved to see the end of the Bush era. They could now turn back into proud America lovers again.

At my TV station France 24, which aims to become France’s CNN or BBC, about 100 journalists were called up to cover election night.
They have so well anticipated Obama’s victory that many of them spent the night watching CNN.

As I was taking the subway back home, the commuters were all reading the free newspapers handed out in train stations.
A little 5-year-old black boy was looking at the main headline, next to his father. He broke the silence reading out proudly “O-BA-MA. BA-RACK O-BA-MA”.

France’s black minority looks up to the American vote, hoping to get someday similar results. Obama’s victory brought joy, satisfaction, hope to some of Paris’s impoverished suburbs, - “Maybe Obama can make a difference here too” some residents said - but a feeling of bitterness quickly emerged, as they realized the gap existing between the US and France.
A few decades ago African-Americans, such as James Baldwin, came to France to write and work freely. Today, many bright French blacks leave for the US to get the jobs they aim for, which they didn’t manage to get in their home country. They usually return a few years later to their neighbourhoods, share their experience and help the less fortunate residents.

Under the Bush administration, the US embassy in Paris made great efforts to attract minority suburban youth to appreciate the US. Washington financed special programs to bring young Arabs and blacks to the US. Dozens have participated in the program. But now, the stream has turned into a torrential flow. Suburban youth who used to despise the US, were won over and are now inspired by America and by what seems to have turned back into a dream.

Mainstream French Jews, whom are known for their traditionalist and pro-Israeli views, may have regretted Hilary Clinton and John McCain’s defeats more than the average Frenchman. Intellectual André Glucksmann wrote one of the rare op-eds criticizing Obama and those who endorsed him in Europe. But on the whole, the community quickly reconsidered and is now eager to discover Obama’s approach to the situation in the Middle-East and regarding Iran.

***
Breakthrough in a 30-year-old antisemitic bombing

It’s a major breakthrough in the investigation over one of Europe’s major anti-Semitic attacks.
28 years ago, a blast killed 4 people and injured 20 others in front of a synagogue in Paris’s 16th quarter, on Copernicus Street.
It was the first lethal attack against the Jewish community since World War II. Last Thursday, the alleged terrorist was arrested in Canada.

Hassan Diab, a sociology professor at the Ottawa University who has Canadian and Lebanese citizenship, claims his innocence. French authorities said they have solid evidence against him and asked for a quick extradition. This may happen within a few months according to Mrs Michèle Alliot-Marie, French Interior minister.

The Jewish community welcomed the news of the arrest with relief. Richard Prasquier, the President of the Jewish umbrella group CRIF thanked the police for its dedication to the case over such a long period. but the synagogue’s former rabbi Michael Williams said the investigation was only reopened last year.
“For 27 years we have been completely ignored, never questioned by investigators. We obtained no information, although we were there when it all happened.” The rabbi told the French news agency “and then last year, police investigators came to see me for the first time.” The rabbi was particularly shocked by the reaction of the French street and media. “They said we were whiners… that’s when I learned that word, ‘whiners’.”

The breakthrough may be another sign of the French authorities’ new dedication to battle anti-Semitism. Maybe a part of the Sarkozy effect.

There’s an obvious change of approach since the attack took place. The Jewish community was deeply hurt by former Prime Minister Raymond Barre’s hasty reaction after the attack.
He said “terrorists had targeted Jews on their way to the synagogue but hurt innocent French citizens in the street.”
Barre, who passed away a few months ago, never regretted his words.

The Jewish community felt quite isolated at the time. And it sometimes still does today.

Community leaders keep denouncing anti-Semitism in Paris’s northern neighbourhoods, where various gangs have been fighting over territories.
One of the gangs gathers Jews, and they’ve been confronting other minorities.
Several Jews have been wounded. One of them, Rudy Haddad, was left in a coma.

Jewish leaders claim the attacks are anti-Semitic and denounce a growing isolation of Jewish families in those neighbourhoods. But the media and public classified the incidents as ‘ethnic violence’ and said they’re by no means anti-Semitic.
A Jewish journalist from my station even told me the Jews are the thugs who triggered ethnic violence.

Whatever the exact situation on the ‘field’ may be, Jews have an entirely different perception of the events than the rest of society.

« Zionists should move to Arizona! »

2008-09-30T01:23:00.009+02:00

The first ‘Jerusalem Day’ to be held in Paris was banned by police on Saturday, following alerts on possible altercations and incitement.
Several anti-Israeli groups led by the Islamic Zahra Center were planning a joint rally next to the Eiffel tower to protest against “Zionism and imperialism”.

“We wanted to organise here in France Jerusalem Day, the event that was launched by Khomeini, but Zionist groups and media pressured authorities and police who banned the event at the last minute,” Zahra Center leader Yahia Gouasmi told me.

In a video posted on the organisation’s web site, Gouasmi says “Zionism is evil” and condemns the peace process in the Middle East.

“What right do they have to share Palestine? It’s not negotiable.” He says referring to the Palestinian Authority. “The Zionists won’t get a grain of sand. Let’s liberate our country! [...] Zionists, you still have time to leave. Move to Arizona!"

Palestinian officials in Paris gave no support to the initiative and have taken their distances in the past from various anti-Zionist groups, such as the Euro-Palestine list that ran for the European Parliamentary elections.

Actor and anti-Israeli militant Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, a former member of the Euro-Palestine list, participated in Saturday’s initiative. M’bala M’bala, who used to be the partner of Jewish comedian Eli Semoun, hosted a press conference in his theatre.

Zahra Center leaders stressed they were strongly endorsed by “anti-Zionist rabbis such as Shmiel Modche Borreman from Brussels.”

But police forces were particularly alerted by the presence of an extremist group M.D.I which had been banned by French authorities twice. The faction led by Stellio Capo Chichi, known as ‘Kemi Seba’, has been disbanded in 2006 because of its anti-Semitic actions and incitement. It has since reformed twice using different names. Meanwhile, its members have multiplied.

“The police knows that whenever we participate in a rally there’s action. That’s why they cancelled the protest,” an MDI militant told one of his friends at the location of the rally Saturday.

The MDI (the Movement of those who are Damned by Imperialism) accuses ‘Zionists’ of “being responsible for injustice and imperialism throughout the world”. French courts have ruled that Kemi Seba’s repeated attacks on ‘Zionists’ are ill-disguised incitements against Jews.
Kemi Seba and his militants threatened Jews on various occasions. One such attack in the Jewish quarter of the Marais (central Paris) led to the ban of the group by then-President Jacques Chirac.

Kemi Seba managed to grow stronger ever since. Once the leader of a small, exclusively black faction, he opened doors to other militants and his movement now comprises an ‘African faction’ and an ‘Arab faction’. He also developed contacts with white nationalist groups.
According to Le Monde newspaper, Kemi Seba is lobbying the youth in various suburbs and in Paris’s 19th quarter where ethnic tensions rose in recent months.

Jerusalem Day organisers told me they were planning a major reaction on Wednesday.

"Suspected" anti-Semitism?

2008-09-08T22:34:00.004+02:00

Three Jewish adolescents aged 16 to 18 were attacked on Saturday afternoon as they were returning home from the Synagogue in Paris’s troubled northern 19th quarter, where anti-Semitic incidents have increased over the past few years.
The beating took place only meters away from where young Rudy Haddad had been assaulted in June by a group of black and Arab youths and young men, among them a soldier.

The three youths, who were all wearing skullcaps, passed by a group of six young men, when one of them was hit with a small rock in the head. K. turned around and asked his attackers if there was a problem.

Challenged to a fight, he declined and was then beaten with his friends by the group, joined by nine other people.
The beating stopped when other residents approached the area.
All three youths were wounded and filed a complaint at police headquarters. On Monday they started identifying their aggressors.

Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie said she was appalled by the “anti-Semitic attack on three Jewish adolescents on their way to the synagogue”, as did the mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe.

But Police investigators stressed they were not certain the assault was indeed anti-Semitic, arguing that "no anti-Jewish hate slogan was pronounced during the attack".
The press reported on the attack, saying it was a case of “suspected anti-Semitism”.

“There is no need for anti-Semitic slurs to identify the crime as anti-Semitic, just as there is no need for anti-Muslim slogans in order to define an assault on a veiled woman as a hate crime,” Sammy Ghozlan of the Vigilance Bureau against anti-Semitism told me. “The police are just trying to quiet things down to avoid a greater flare-up.”

The Jewish umbrella organisation CRIF agreed the assault was “obviously anti-Semitic”, and the Jewish student organisation UEJF pointed out that the three victims were serious quiet students, who had no prior experience of violence.

UEJF was referring to the case of Rudy Haddad, the boy beaten to a coma in June, who had participated in a previous street fight between Jewish and multi-racial gangs. Because of his past experience, Rudy’s attack was considered by many as a simple street battle and not a hate crime.

However they might be defined, racial hatred and increasing violence have exasperated residents of the neighbourhood. They feel the city is not doing anything to solve the problem, and many parents ask their children to stay at home to avoid trouble.

French Cartoonist triggers national controversy with antisemitic jibe about Sarkozy's son

2008-08-06T21:45:00.003+02:00

Nicolas Sarkozy’s son Jean is at the center of a national controversy after he was attacked by a satirist for allegedly planning to convert to Judaism.

In his article, cartoonist Siné mocked the precautious political agenda of Jean Sarkozy, who’s an elected official at 21 and implied the young man decided to wed a Jew and convert to Judaism in order to push forward his career.

“Jean Sarkozy, the natural son of his father and already councillor within his party, who was discharged at court in a hit and run accident with his motorbike. [...] Well, one must stress that the plaintiff was an Arab! And that’s not all: he just announced that he will convert to Judaism before marrying his fiancée, a Jew, and heiress of the founders of the Darty stores. This boy has some future!” wrote Siné on the July 9 issue of Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper, which had not been reviewed by the newsroom.

The affair could have gone unnoticed but journalist Claude Askolovitch denounced it as anti-Semitic and the newspaper’s manager Philippe Val agreed and requested an official printed excuse from the satirist. But the latter refused.

“Saying I’m sorry to Sarkozy and Darty? I might as well cut off my balls,” he replied, before being fired by Val.
The cartoonist got support from various public figures who argued he had the right to express himself. 3.000 people signed the petition in favour of Siné. They say the manager has double standards, because Charlie Hebdo’s satirical attitude is renowned. The newspaper had published the Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and was sued for doing so by various Muslim associations. Philippe Val pleaded for hours in court in favour of the controversial drawings.

But Val says “criticizing religion, any religion, is not the same as criticizing someone for what they are.” “That is an unspoken rule at Charlie Hebdo” he wrote in a column a week after the controversy broke out. He added that Sarkozy’s conversion to Judaism was a mere rumour.

French news papers are divided on the issue but most of them criticize Siné and point out that he had, in the past, been condemned for anti-Semitic remarks.

Those who defend the cartoonist say that he was fired for his far-left, pro-Palestinian political views and that his latest article was merely an excuse. They accuse Val of harassing his employees and defending pro-Israeli positions.

The Jewish umbrella group CRIF issued a press release in support of Val saying the controversy had turned into a hate campaign against the editor. Intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy wrote that people are focusing on Val’s decision to fire the cartoonist instead of trying to understand why Siné’s remarks were anti-Semitic.

Paris welcomes Assad — but Syrian leader snubs Olmert

2008-07-18T08:01:00.003+02:00

Syrian leader Bashar Assad was a controversial guest of honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations — and snubbed his fellow guest, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Mr Assad was among more than 40 heads of state at Sunday’s launch of the Union for the Mediterranean, a French initiative to bring together the 27 states of the EU with the Balkans and their Arab neighbours.

His presence in the front row of dignitaries watching the military parade the next day, one seat away from President Nicolas Sarkozy, created unease among opposition leaders, human-rights activists and members of the Jewish community.

French military veterans were also angered because Syria is accused of orchestrating a 1983 attack that killed 58 French troops in Beirut. Several human-rights activists were arrested as they tried to protest.

“Bastille Day is tainted by controversy,” said Socialist leader François Holland.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner himself said last month that he was displeased by Mr Assad’s invitation. Former president Jacques Chirac, who had been a close friend of slain former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri — in whose murder Damascus has been implicated — chose not to attend the parade.

But for Mr Sarkozy, inviting Mr Assad to Paris was not negotiable. “Someone has to take chances,” Mr Sarkozy told a press conference, explaining a U-turn in French policy. He hopes that Syria will turn moderate once it emerges from its isolation, and hopes to launch direct talks between Jerusalem and Damascus.

However, despite weeks of feverish speculation ahead of the summit, there was no handshake between the Syrian and Israeli leaders.

On Bastille Day, Mr Olmert and Mr Assad were filmed on the stage, inches away from each other, but although Mr Olmert looked at Mr Assad, the latter avoided eye contact, let alone a handshake.

A French journalist told Mr Sarkozy at the summit’s press conference that Mr Assad had left the assembly before Mr Olmert’s speech, and that his foreign minister, Walid al-Moualem, left before Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni’s address. Mr Sarkozy said he “hadn’t noticed”, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak responded: “So what? Assad probably had other things to do.”

Overlooking the critics, Mr Sarkozy said his initiative was a great success because of the European and Arab states which participated in the summit alongside Israel. Still, the only practical measures agreed were a handful of projects including taking action against pollution in the region and improving shipping routes.

Mr Sarkozy also announced he will visit Syria during the summer.

Ethnic gangs raise new fear in Paris

2008-06-27T18:51:00.009+02:00

By Dana Gloger and Shirli Sitbon in Paris

As the latest young Jewish victim of a violent attack in France woke up from his coma on Monday, debate was reignited on the safety and future of the county’s Jewish community.

Rudy Haddad, 17, was beaten by up to 15 teenagers of African origin in an incident initially described by French authorities as antisemitic. One Arab teen beat Haddad with crutches. Others kicked and jumped on him. None of the suspects have been located yet.

The attack took place in Paris’s multi-ethnic 19th district, which has large Jewish, Arab and black populations.

It comes just three months after Mathieu Roumi, 19, whose father is Jewish, was attacked, held hostage and tortured in the Bagneux suburb of the French capital.

During his ordeal, his captors scrawled “Dirty Jew” on his forehead using correction fluid. Bagneux was also where Ilan Halimi, 23, was kidnapped and tortured two years ago. The telephone salesman had been held captive for three weeks in a crime which both police and Nicolas Sarkozy (then France’s interior minister) described as antisemitic. Mr Halimi died of his injuries shortly after, and the incident sparked fears of surging antisemitism in France, home to around 600,000 Jews.

In the latest incident, Police have revealed that the beating was preceded by gang fights in which two other Jewish teens were injured. According to witnesses questioned by police, Haddad took part in the last scuffle and was caught by his attackers while he was trying to flee the area. Witnesses say he slipped between two cars, while his friends managed to escape. Mr Haddad had been involved in a fight on a previous occasion after a rally for the release of Israeli soldiers Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

Public prosecution opened an investigation on attempted murder charges with an anti-Semitic factor. Chief prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said investigators have ruled out the isolated attack theory.

Whatever the cause, the incident has provoked renewed debate in France about the safety of the Jewish community, with fears expressed that Saturday’s attack is indicative of a rising tide of antisemitism.

“We issued warnings earlier this month regarding dangerous gangs in this multi-ethnic quarter of Paris,” said Sammy Ghozlan, of the Vigilance Bureau against antisemitism. "The community doesn't understand why the media does not describe the attack as anti-Semitic but as a gang fight."

Even President Sarkozy, who was in Israel this week for a state visit, expressed his concern. Speaking at a dinner in Jerusalem, he said: “I was particularly shocked by what happened to a young Frenchman because he was wearing a kippah. Battling antisemitism concerns all French people, whether they are Jews or not.” He added that antisemitism was “a stain on the tricolour flag”.

Ariel Goldman, head of security for CRIF, the Representative Council for French Jews, said that Jewish people in the country, particularly those in northern Paris, had been left shocked and worried by the attack on Rudy Haddad.“Although everybody has to wait to see what conclusions the police will make, what is evident is that a young Jewish boy wearing a kippah had been attacked and very seriously hurt. People are now very upset and worried.”

One of Mr Haddad’s friends, who did not want to be named, said: “It is very difficult thinking about what happened. We are all very scared. There is violence like this against Jewish people all the time, and it is very hard.”

Most of France’s communal leaders stressed that while Jewish people in the country were safe, and that antisemitism had decreased in recent years, the nature of such attacks had become increasingly violent, leaving people ever more fearful.Serge Cwajgenbaum, of the European Jewish Congress, explained that the past year had seen a decrease in antisemitic incidents overall, but a rise in violent incidents. “It makes people very worried. While people are not necessarily more frightened of walking in the streets, parents are scared to send their children to a Jewish school for example, in case they are attacked.”He added that attacks such as the one on Rudy Haddad created a strong perception of rising antisemitism.

Guy Rosanowitz, who presents a talk show on France’s Jewish radio station Radio J in which callers discuss their concerns and recent events, agreed with Mr Cwajgenbaum.“Previously, when there have been attacks on Jewish people, there was a lot of talk about leaving the country to go to Israel or the US. This time, people aren’t saying this, but they are nervous after what has happened, especially as it’s not the first time that attacks like this have happened in these parts of Paris.” He added: “It generally concerns religious people more, and there has been some discussion of whether it’s best to wear a hat rather than a kippah in public.”

Others, however, claimed that the incident has not caused fear among the Orthodox community. Rabbi Hillel Benhamou, secretary of the Beit Loubavitch Centre in Paris, said: “It has not caused Lubavitch people to be any more worried about walking down the streets in their hats, or religious clothes. People are upset about what’s happened, but they are not scared to walk down the streets.” He added that the community’s main concern was how the incident would affect racial and religious tensions among young people.

Meanwhile, Raphael Haddad, president of the French Union of Jewish Students, said that, given the news that Rudy Haddad had been involved in previous fights, it was no longer clear if Saturday’s attack had been entirely antisemitic in nature.

He rejected suggestions that French Jews felt under threat: “People are not scared. They feel safer than they did two or three years ago.”One of the causes of the problem, according to Raphael Haddad, was that in the 19th district, groups of Jewish and non-Jewish youths “fight in the park every Saturday afternoon”.

France elects chief rabbi in US-style vote

2008-06-27T04:36:00.007+02:00

France elected a new chief rabbi on Sunday after a lengthy presidential-style campaign described by one communal figure as “an unprecedented battle between two radically different characters”.

The victor, Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, the 56-year-old rabbi of Paris’s La Victoire Synagogue, beat Chief Rabbi Joseph Haïm Sitruk, 63, who led the French rabbinate for 21 years.

According to communal figures, the election had “turned American”, with a campaign that included video clips on the internet showing the younger rabbi jogging through Paris, comments on social-networking site Facebook, and advertising in the Jewish press. France’s main communal organisation, the Consistoire, responsible for electing the chief rabbi, had never seen such effort and cash invested in an election. One of the 300 members eligible to vote said: “I never got so many phone calls. The chief rabbi [Sitruk] himself left a message on my mobile phone and asked what he could do for me to get my support.”

Rabbi Sitruk was seen as the traditional candidate, “friendly and always ready to tell a joke”, and with a keen interest in business opportunities, such as the launch — during his term of office — of his own kashrut label in competition with the Consistoire label, a move which provoked fierce criticism.

A philosopher and academic, Chief Rabbi Bernheim is widely regarded as an intellectual. However, his supporters say his main quality is his inclusivity. “Bernheim is an open man,” said Jacques Garih, president of the Future of Judaism association. “Let’s face it, 99 per cent of the French are not Jewish, so it’s quite important to have interfaith dialogue. And he’s also open to Jews who are not Orthodox.” He is also expected to resolve the problems facing the Consistoire: “It is going through a tough crisis because Sitruk didn’t take matters in hand and Bernheim presented a serious programme to get the Consistoire back on track and improve its rabbinical school,” said religious and social-studies scientist Martine Cohen. “And Bernheim doesn’t address men exclusively. This is further progress.”

After his victory on Sunday, Rabbi Bernheim told Rabbi Sitruk that “it was time to unite” and offered to “work together”. One of Rabbi Sitruk’s students shed a tear. And as one voter told the JC, “the election was some show”.

Gang beats Jewish adolescent to a coma - all leads investigated

2008-06-23T21:15:00.009+02:00

A 17-year-old Jewish adolescent, Rudy Haddad, was beaten to a coma by a group of adolescents on Saturday night in the north of Paris in an attack initially described as anti-Semitic by French authorities.

“A gang of 15 adolescents attacked the young Jew with metal bars as he was walking down the street wearing a skullcap,” Sammy Ghozlan, from the Vigilance Bureau against anti-Semitism, told the JC. “We have issued warnings earlier this month regarding dangerous gangs in this multi-ethnic quarter of Paris.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said “the aggressors had to be severely punished”. However, police has yet to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.

The attack occurred in a neighbourhood where rival black, Arab and Jewish gangs confront each other regularly and police revealed that Saturday’s beating was preceded by scuffles, apparently over a stolen motorbike.
They also revealed that Haddad had, in the past, participated in a fight and investigators are trying to determine whether the boy, who came out of the coma on Monday, took part in the street fights that preceded his beating.
“The exact motives of the assault haven’t been determined yet,” said police sources.

France’s new chief rabbi Gilles Bernheim said “investigators had to complete their inquiry” but evaluated that “there is no doubt the attack was anti-Semitic”.
Police have detained five black adolescents spotted during the beating.

Racial violence and anti-Semitic assaults committed by ethnic minorities have multiplied in France in recent years.
In 2006, a gang kidnapped and killed 23-year-old phone salesman Ilan Halimi. In 2003, only streets away from the area where Haddad was attacked on Saturday, 23-year-old DJ Sébastien Selam was murdered by his neighbour who told police he would go to heaven because he killed a Jew. The murderer pleaded insanity.

There’s an ongoing debate over Jewish gangs, such as the Jewish Defence League and Beitar, which confront other gangs in the Paris area. One of JDL’s leaders, who presents himself as Michael Carlisle, told me in April that his gang participated in street battles but he said JDL only “fought against gangs that threaten Jews”.
The Jewish community has never openly condemned gangs such as JDL, although the topic was debated in April in the national and Jewish press.

Sarkozy gets cosy with Assad

2008-06-20T04:18:00.004+02:00

Jewish institutions and opposition parties have criticised the welcome extended by French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy to Syrian leader Bashar Assad to the summit launching the Med Union on July 13 and to the next day’s Bastille Day celebrations.

“It is not the invitation to the summit itself we are criticising, but the honours given to Assad the next day when he’ll be the nation’s guest at the presidential tribune for the national celebration,” a spokesman for the Jewish umbrella body CRIF told the JC.

But the invitation is seen by others as an opportunity to push negotiations with Syria further after Jerusalem and Damascus revealed their own indirect talks.

Paris has sent two emissaries to Damascus, among them Jean-David Lavitte, France’s former ambassador to the US.

“If the Israelis are talking to the Syrians… let’s not be too smart about things, I think it’s important to talk to people on opposite sides,” said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

“If Sarkozy obtained information about developments and a change in the Syrian approach, then there could be a breakthrough,” political analyst Raphael Drai told the JC.

“But this diplomatic effort will be very complex and difficult to push through.

“There are in fact three negotiations in one: there’s the Israeli-Syrian process, the Lebanon issue, and the attempt to draw Syria away from Iran. Syrians argue that if they accept western demands and move away from Iran, they should at least get in return major advantages in Lebanon and land restitution from Israel in the Golan.”

According to Reuters, Israeli officials said Jerusalem was trying to set up a meeting between Mr Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who will participate in the same events on July 13-14. The Israeli embassy in France told the JC it did not wish to comment on the media reports and that it was currently focusing on Mr Sarkozy’s own trip to Jerusalem, due to take place in a few days.

Slander star loses slander case

2008-06-16T20:16:00.010+02:00

Is slander time over for French controversial comedian Dieudonne ?

Over the past 5 years, the enigmatic figure of Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, better known as Dieudo, turned from a sympathetic popular actor teamed up with Jewish comic Eli Semoun into an obsessed anti-Zionist militant portraying Jews as soulless gold diggers.

Today (July 17) - he lost a libel suit against Jewish lawmaker Julien Dray. Dieudonné accused Dray of slander after the latter said he was indirectly responsible for the murder of 23-year-old Jewish salesman Ilan Halimi in 2006.

Dieudonné, was one of the local Jewish community’s most preoccupying problems over the past few years. He represented the new anti-Semite who could freely attack Jews using the anti-Zionist arena. The problem was that he had the popularity, stage and screens to spread his message and that because he is a black man no one would suspect him of true hatred.

The big blow occurred in December 2003 with an unexpected sketch in which Dieudonne was disguised as a Nazi orthodox Jew on a TV talk show. Dieudonné executed a Nazi salute while saying “Isra-heil”. The aftershock came the next day, when the Jewish community realised nobody else was moved by his performance.

Dieudonné’s portrait of Jews, accusing them of orchestrating the slave trade and spreading AIDS in Africa, instilled new hatred against the community.
An anti-Semitic black gang called the Tribu Ka met at Dieudonné’s theatre and later threatened Jews in various occasions.
A young black man who came to a meeting for Judeo-Black friendship told me he heard that Jews had been slave traders and he didn’t know whether to believe it or not. “Is Dieudonné right? Nobody tells me otherwise.”
Jewish associations tried to take legal action and put a stop to Dieudonnée’s slander campaign, but lost their case each time.

All that changed two years ago, when Dieudonné made a few major mistakes that revealed his true intentions. The main one was his meeting with extremist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. Their handshake shed a new light on Dieudonné, and cut his bond with the mainstream black community.

And now he is quite alone.

Jews: "slave traders turned into finance sharks"

I saw him in court several weeks ago during his trial against Jewish MP and Socialist party spokesperson Julien Drai who had accused him of being indirectly responsible for the kidnapping and murder of young Jewish phone salesman Ilan Halimi by a gang in February 2006.

The gang said it had kidnapped Halimi “because he was Jewish and Jews have money.”
It went to the center of Paris on a Saturday and checked which stores were closed. The following days the gang sent girls to hit on phone salesmen in these shops, figuring they would be Jewish, and that their kidnapping would generate easy cash.

According to Drai, Dieudonné had indirect responsibility in this tragedy because he spread these old stereotypes on Jews.

Dieudonné said he was shocked and that his life changed the day Drai pronounced his accusations.
“People attacked me in the streets accusing me of Ilan’s abduction. It’s all your fault!” said Dieudonné in court.

“It’s not my fault, it is the result of all of your repeated actions and declarations!” answered Julien Drai.

Dieudonné looked at the judge and said “He doesn’t realize the consequences of his words. I was physically attacked.”
And the judge answered “Oddly enough, this is precisely what Julien Drai is accusing you of : triggering violence with your declarations.”

Today the court discharged Dray.

A thousand Jews marched in Paris days after the Halimi murder, when police and officials kept denying it was a hate crime.

Days later, tens of thousands marched down Voltaire Boulevard, where Ilan Halimi had been approached by his kidnappers.

No prince charming for non-virgin bride

2008-06-13T04:20:00.001+02:00

Non-virgin Muslim brides beware! Even in France, the country that heralds secularity, freedom and equality, you might not find a groom!
That’s what we’ve learned from last week’s news:
It’s the story of a French court that decided to annul a marriage because the bride had lied about her virginity.

The case started in the northern town of Lille, on the wedding night, two years ago.
The 30-year old groom was shocked to discover that his newlywed had had a previous lover and asked her to leave their home instantly.

After pleading her case, the bride decided to move on and accepted the annulment.
The judge was surprised at first by the request. She asked the man why he wouldn’t file for a divorce. He said “he refused to divorce because that would mean there was some kind of failure on his behalf – whereas he considers the marriage was flawed from the start”.
Indeed, why argue?

Eventually, the judge figured that this was not just any couple, this was a Muslim couple and according to her, Muslim standards and values are not the same as the ones of the genuine French population’s. So she concluded this was the best way to go and made the annulment official on April 1st.
The case was unprecedented.

Until Monday, only a few feminists were shocked by the affair, which failed to move public opinion.
Justice Minister Rachida Dati herself said “the annulment was a way of protecting the people involved”. Meaning: the young woman was better off without that husband so why bother criticise the decision?

The idea of asking the man to file for a divorce didn’t cross anyone’s mind.

Few officials reacted to this decision. Among the half dozen who did, was the
mayor who pronounced my own wedding, Hervé Mariton. He approved the decision and called Dati to support her.
“The lie justifies the annulment of the wedding” Mariton told reporters “The bride should have been honest. Instead, she lied.”

Fadela Amara, a Muslim women’s rights militant and junior minister in charge of impoverished suburbs, said the story was presented upside down.
“The problem is that these women are forced to lie and put up with such impossible situations. The fact that they have to accept these conditions is the whole problem.” “The court ruling is a fatwa against women’s rights and emancipation” she said.
French feminist Elisabeth Badinter said she was worried for Muslim girls who would now be pressured furthermore “The Republic is supposed to protect these girls not pressure them” she said, warning of a legal precedent.

Their call was heard, and the affair took another turn on Monday, when French authorities stepped in. The case was far too embarrassing and preoccupying for the future.

French PM François Fillon said the state will appeal the annulment “to prevent the creation of a disturbing legal precedent for annulling marriages on grounds of virginity.”

However, the bride in this particular case is anything but enthusiastic over the attention she got. Her lawyer says “she accepts the annulment although it is not the best solution on a moral level”. “She just wants to break all ties with this marriage and move on with her life”.

Court backs claim that al-Dura killing was staged

2008-05-21T16:24:00.014+02:00

The second French channel lost its case against Philippe Karsenty, who accused the station of staging its report on the death of Mohammad al-Dura.

Click here for article in Hebrew

The eleventh chamber of the Paris appeals court discharged today Philippe Karsenty in a libel suit launched by French TV after Karsenty claimed the station and its correspondent in the Middle-East Charles Enderlin broadcasted a staged report on the death of Mohammad Al-Dura on September 30, 2000.

The disturbing images of the al-Dura incident were shown around the world, raising a storm of controversy. In the France-2 report, the boy and his father were crouching in front of a wall amid an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants at the Netzarim junction in Gaza. The report shows the father Jamal al-Dura gesturing to try to stop the shooting - then cuts to a shot of the boy lying on his father's lap, with Enderlin saying he was killed by Israeli fire.

In November 2004, Phillipe Karsenty wrote on his website Media Ratings that al-Dura's death had been staged, accusing Charles Enderlin - who was not on location during the clashes - of using images doctored by his Palestinian cameraman Talal Abu Rahma for propaganda purposes.
The French station sued Karsenty and won a first trial in 2006. But Karsenty appealed the decision and the second trial turned to his advantage when the judge asked to view the rushes.

Karsenty defended his case in a February 2008 hearing, saying the footage doesn’t show the boy getting killed. He provided a bullet report from a French ballistics expert, indicating the shots fired over the al-Duras came from the Palestinian position and he pointed out that several scenes before the al-Dura incident appeared staged.
The judge agreed in that hearing that some scenes did not seem genuine.

However, Enderlin insisted that the images were no different from the clashes he had witnessed repeatedly and the prosecution reminded the court that a dead Palestinian boy had been buried after the Netzarim junction incident and that Jamal al-Dura gave his consent for DNA tests that could prove the boy was his son.

No official from France 2 or Charles Enderlin appeared in court on Wednesday. The station announced it will apeal the ruling.

“This is the victory of truth against the lies broadcasted by France 2. The honour of France has been saved,” Karsenty told me.
Speaking to reporters in the courthouse, Karsenty called on France 2 to apologise officially and on the evening news. “This is a victory French society over lies,” he added.

“France 2 must recognise its mistake! If it does not do so, it will bear responsibility for the hatred and incitement launched by this report.”

“Incitement against Israel, Jews and the West in the Muslim world must stop! This hatred led to violence and the death of Daniel Pearl.”

Karsenty told me that the fact that Israel kept its distances and did not support his position complicated his defense strategy.

Iran stars anti-nuclear rally

2008-05-11T19:49:00.014+02:00

Iran was the guest of honour in a French anti-nuclear meeting this weekend… No one was really interested except the Israeli press which mentioned the incident, reported by the Iranian news agency IRNA.

The Iranian ambassador Ali Ahani – also known as the only official in Paris who ignores Israeli journalists at press conferences - was invited to deliver a speech at the third ‘International rally for nuclear, chemical and biological disarmament’.

Addressing the local audience, Ahani said “Iran was the biggest victim of weapons of mass destruction” during its conflict with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and accused Israel of being “a major threat to world peace”. He denounced France, Britain, the US, Russia and Germany for trying to halt Tehran’s nuclear program. Two other Iranian diplomats participated in the event, along with a Cuban and two Vietnamese embassy advisers.

The event was in fact organised by an anti-nuclear association, Citizen action for nuclear dismantling, in the western town of Saintes, and not in Paris, as reported in the Israeli press. This detail is quite significant, since the town’s relative isolation explains how the Iranian diplomat turned out to be the star of the show.

The organisers flooded the capital’s embassies with invitations. But as expected, no serious official could take the time and travel to Saintes for a militant conference. No official except the Iranian ambassador and his colleagues who figured this could be a good opportunity for some PR activity.

The organisers, who present their meeting as “international”, were relieved and proud to host an ambassador and perhaps didn’t fully seize the controversial and ironic character of their ‘pacifist’ rally.

“World leaders meet in big capitals. We, the militants, gather in our home towns!” the association wrote on its internet site.
“Saintes may only have 30.000 inhabitants, but we don’t need to be millions to know what billions want: peace, justice and life!”

The French media did not cover or even mention the event, but the Iranian news agency turned it into an important conference.

The same day (Saturday), the French Parliament hosted a meeting on nuclear disarmament - but no Iranian official had been invited.

Journalist discovers JDL elephant in the room

2008-04-16T00:01:00.018+02:00

Jewish Journalist Frederic Haziza dropped a bomb last week when publishing an opinion editorial in national newspaper Liberation demanding the dismantling of the French Jewish defence league, a small group affiliated to far-right ideology and claiming to protect ‘Jewish interests’.

So far widely ignored by community officials, the French JDL has raised the ire of the ‘organised community’ recently when it sabotaged an event organised by the Jewish umbrella group CRIF in the honour of Israeli president Shimon Peres, during his state visit in France.

While M.Peres was addressing the community, in the presence of French national officials, a dozen militants interrupted his speech by shouting repeatedly “traitor” at the Israeli president. M.Peres responded promptly, but the CRIF condemned the sabotage in a press release, calling the militants ‘thugs’.

“The next day, several CRIF officials examined whether the French JDL could be dismantled.” Frederic Haziza, the Jewish radio’s political editor, told me. “It is intolerable that these extremists sabotage such an event, give a bad name to the community with their racist ideology and accuse Shimon Peres of being a traitor. These are the same words as the ones shouted against Isaac Rabin before his murder,” added Frederic Haziza. “The president of CRIF Richard Prasquier congratulated me for my editorial as well as the Israeli ambassador Daniel Shek.”

However CRIF is far from unanimous. It has never requested officially a ban of the JDL, saying it respects the militants’ liberty of speech, and according to JDL and CRIF sources the militants have occasionally assisted the umbrella organisation in the battle against anti-Semitism.

“JDL militants have occasionally informed us on anti-Semitic groups which they have been watching, or on racist internet sites,” said Samy Ghozlan, the head of the Vigilance Bureau against anti-Semitism.

“They have never worked with our community security services officially, but certain CRIF leaders did meet with JDL militants in the past,” a CRIF official confirmed.

Blackmail against the 'organised community'

A JDL leader who presents himself as ‘Michael Carlisle’ told me that the CRIF was now seeking to have them dismantled, but said his group would pressure CRIF to abandon its plan.

“We recorded some conversations that we have had with CRIF officials in which they express their support to our activities. If CRIF decides to denounce us we will release the tapes,” said Carlisle.
JDL, which claims up to 200 members, has been accused of a series of assaults, mainly against anti-Israeli and revisionist figures or in demonstrations, but it denies any implication in the incidents.

“Whenever there is an incident involving Jews, the JDL is accused, without any evidence proving its implication,” said Michel Zerbib the editor in chief of the Jewish Radio J, which has distanced itself from Frederic Haziza’s call against the JDL. “They have never been condemned and they have denounced several assaults which they have been accused of.”

“The JDL is small and not organised. It is insignificant, inoffensive,” judged Samy Ghozlan. “Its dismantling wouldn’t change anything for the Jewish community.”

A JDL supporter who sent two threat letters to Frederic Haziza has been heard by the police during the week after the journalist filed a complaint.

Click here for The JC article.

Israel and France are back to normal

2008-03-27T21:23:00.004+01:00

Israeli President Shimon Peres has seen it all.

Almost any man would have been confused by the series of unbelievable mishaps that erupted out of nowhere during his visit in France, from anti-Israeli rallies and boycotts to a sabotage of his speech by right-wing Jews, to the collapse of an installation just inches over his head at the mid-March prestigious annual book fair where Israel was the star guest.

But not President Peres. He didn't appear moved at all. To the contrary. Like a quick tennis player, he anticipated the attacks and threw the ball back to his advantage, winning the PR match.

His message was clear: Sarkozy's policy of close friendship with Israel is not a new or original trend after three decades of somewhat colder ties, but rather a return to the natural state of affairs between the two countries -- albeit one that must be encouraged. Peres repeated over and over that after Israel's War of Independence, when Israel was desperately looking for any kind of ally in order to defend itself and survive, France was the only country that agreed to sell warplanes and weapons to the Jewish state.

"I came to France at the time and discussed [this] with its great leaders. That was the France of the Resistance, the one we respect so much," Peres said in his speeches. "I say we owe France our thanks. Thank you France!"

One of the striking things about Peres' visit is the disconnect between him and the local Jewish community, which is often more allied with the Likud Party. The non-Jewish public appreciates him, yet most Jews don't share that enthusiasm (though they pretend they do when speaking with non-Jews). By contrast, when Ariel Sharon visited France a couple of years ago he made whole audiences of traditional French Jewry cry and laugh to tears. The same people didn't even bother to attend Peres' address to the community.

One girl told me "I admire Sharon; I worship Rabin; I don't care for Peres." Some right-wingers attended the ceremony only to interrupt Peres and call him "traitor" for a dozen minutes.

Peres was not moved.

"I'm used to your kind of people, those who try to turn any meeting into a political protest," he said. "I'll tell you one thing: Whatever you may attempt, we will not halt our efforts to encourage Mr. Sarkozy in his policy on the Middle East. He understands what the dangers are, and together we will fight terror and the Iranian threat and bring security to the whole region."

"Being a Jew is not just having a Jewish mother. It's raising one's children to become Jews, and I mean with Jewish moral values. This means one does not want to rule [over] or control any other people."

The protestors were ejected from the hall by security.

The next day, the Jewish community issued a press release saying, "All French Jews are united behind Shimon Peres."

Something has definitely changed in France regarding Israel. Maybe it's the Sarkozy effect. As both Ehud Olmert and Peres say, the French president is an extremely rare example of a political leader who maintains his enthusiasm toward Israel, even after his election.

A few years ago, France, at best, tolerated Israel; on some occasions Jacques Chirac said Sharon was not welcome in Paris. Obviously, things have since improved, but Sarkozy's election pushed the friendship further, turning the relationship into genuine support.

And indeed, the French president kept his promise and honored Israel by inviting Peres as his first official guest on a state visit. He defended Israel's right to defend itself and its right to live as any other state and be -- for instance -- the guest of honor at the Salon du Livres de Paris, the international book fair. He sent his son Jean, a newly elected local representative at 22, to Peres' meeting with the Jewish community.

In embracing Israel, the French president has on several occasions been the victim of anti-Semitic jibes, and, indeed, the French book fair was boycotted by several Arab countries because an Israeli leader was a guest star. France could have tempered its support to the guest, but it didn't. The boycott was seen as an outrage, and the Presidential Palace's spokesperson repeated its position. The affair was of national importance. Through all that week, thousands of Israeli flags were seen floating across the French capital to honor Peres and Israel.

All the signs are there: France is changing. Or perhaps, as Peres puts it, things may be simply getting back to normal.

The 8th Israeli Film Festival of Paris is taking place this week (March 25 to April 1st). The event, launched eight years ago by Charles Zrihen, propelled precious collaborations between French producers and Israeli directors contributing greatly to the Israeli 7th art industry, said French producer Sophie Dulac. Israeli films were a joke here 10 years ago. Today, French intellectuals won't miss them for anything.

The festival is organized by Charles Zrihen's association ISRATIM (http://www.isratim.co.il/)

If you have visited the Jewish quarter of the Marais in Paris, you have seen a piece of history. The old Jewish Rue des Rosiers, where the community has been present for centuries, has slowly disappeared as luxurious fashion stores, art galleries and gay clubs have replaced synagogues, restaurants, kosher butcheries and bakeries.

Some of the new stores agreed to keep old ornaments on the walls, and when walking in the Rue des Rosiers, one can still spot some drawings of boys studying for their b'nai mitzvah and other such scenes.

A group of Jewish residents launched a petition to stop the building of a major clothing store on this street, but the initiative is not the first of its kind, and none of the preceding ones achieved their goal.

New attack in Halimi murder suburb

2008-03-11T01:36:00.011+01:00

French prosecution sources revealed that a 19-year-old adolescent of Jewish descent was attacked and sequestrated in Bagneux, the impoverished suburb where 23-year-old Ilan Halimi was tortured to death two years ago.

The six alleged attackers, aged 16 to 24, were all arrested and indicted for “violence against a person because of his supposed race or religion and his sexual orientation, organised kidnapping and acts of torture and barbarism [...]”, the prosecution announced last Tuesday.

The attack occurred on February 22, when Mathieu Roumi followed his neighbours to an apartment to settle what appears to be a dispute over the theft of Mathieu's cellular phone and a video player.

The thugs started at this point to brutalise Mathieu and to write anti-Semitic and homophobic insults on his face. They then moved him into a lock-up garage and tortured him for nine hours until one of the attackers, whose family owns the facility, had to go and refused to leave the others behind.

Traumatised Mathieu is set free after his aggressors threaten to kill him if he denounces them to police.

The same night, Mathieu is hospitalised and the next day he files a complaint at the police station, leading to the arrest of his torturers who confirmed his version of the story.

Jewish and anti-racist associations were shocked by the new hate crime, however, investigators rather remain cautious and avoid comparing the new case to the Ilan Halimi murder.
Halimi did not know his kidnappers, who organised his abduction simply because he was Jewish and they assumed Jews were rich. On the other hand, Mathieu knew his attackers and had apparently an issue to settle with them.
“We must wait until police investigators get to the bottom of the case, and determine what was the exact role of anti-Semitism” said Richard Prasquier, head of the Jewish umbrella group CRIF.
Others believe that the case is clearly anti-Semitic and homophobic.
“They are trying to fool us by imputing this on a financial issue” between the victim and his aggressors, said the head of the anti-racist movement LICRA Patrick Gaubert to the AFP.
The attackers even told Mathieu they admired Ilan Halimi's murderers the "Gang of Barbarians" led by Yousouf Fofana.

After Halimi’s murder in 2006, the prosecution, media and political officials refused at first to consider the attack as anti-Semitic, saying the murderers were only trying to get some money out of the abduction. Nicolas Sarkozy was among the first to state publicly that the murder was anti-Semitic.

Jewish officials told me they were deeply concerned by the global atmosphere in France.
“Although anti-Semitic attacks were down by 30% in 2007 compare to the previous year, the anti-Semitic stereotypes are spreading out,” said Richard Prasquier.

“The scary thing is that the youths in these neighbourhoods don’t even think that what has happened is all that terrible,” Sammy Ghozlan, the head of the Vigilance bureau against anti-Semitism said. “I talked to Mathieu’s neighbours after the attack and they were completely unmoved. They said that “things got a little out of hand”. Whenever attacking a Jew or someone with a Jewish name, thugs get much rougher and uncontrollable.”

Ilan Halimi z"l

85% disapprove Sarkozy's new plan to teach Shoah

2008-02-22T10:22:00.009+01:00

French split over plan to teach Shoah

Jewish community officials are divided over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s controversial new plan to teach schoolchildren about the Holocaust.

The project, announced by the president during the umbrella Jewish group CRIF’s annual dinner last week, consists of “twinning” French pupils with the 11,000 Jewish children deported from France and killed in the Second World War.

Mr Sarkozy’s goal was to catch children’s attention by telling them the true stories of those their own age, an initiative inspired by the great educational success of Anne Frank’s diary.

However, the plan was widely and immediately criticised by professors, psychologists and several Jewish community leaders who considered the burden of history and possible feelings of guilt to be too heavy for children to bear. Accusations also came from one of Mr Sarkozy’s political allies, Simone Veil, a survivor of Auschwitz and honorary president of the Shoah Memory Foundation.

“I am furious and I don’t understand how this initiative was even considered by the president,” Ms Veil told the JC. “These victims are not symbols, they were real children and this initiative will not do them justice.”

But Serge Klarsfeld, the French lawyer who battled throughout his career to find and try former Nazis, said he approved of Mr Sarkozy’s initiative.

“From my experience, children of 12 to 13 listen carefully and give so much attention when they are told about the Second World War. This is the right age to talk to them about the Holocaust,” said Mr Klarsfeld, who for years has gathered thousands of documents about children killed in the Shoah. “I will give all of the information I gathered for this new project.”

Mr Sarkozy’s advisors said the president came up with the programme himself out of concern for the transmission of information on the Shoah to future generations.

CRIF, which deemed the controversy to be “artificial”, suggested that pupils do not focus solely on the victims but also on righteous gentiles.

Mr Klarsfeld also suggested that the project could be extended to cover other historical events and other victims.

According to a poll by IFOP survey institute, 85% of the French disapprove of Sarkozy's project on Shoah study - an exceptionally strong opposition.

Letter from France: The hottest ticket in town

2008-02-08T02:46:00.001+01:00

The Judeo-political happening of the year, the annual dinner of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (Council of Jewish Organizations of France, better known as CRIF), is about to take place on Feb. 13 in one of Paris' glamorous venues, the Pavilion d'Ermenonville, and all of its aficionados are wondering whether this year's edition will stand up to the competition of preceding ones.

Last year, the Jewish community dinner was the only event attended by both presidential candidates, Segolene Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy, and no guest could ever forget how the two managed to avoid each other while moving through the packed lounge, shaking hands with everyone else. Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, officially the star guest, was completely ignored by the crowd.

This year Sarkozy, one of the dinner's regular guests, will attend the event once again. Only this time he will be in attendance as France's leader, the first president to do so.

CRIF press director Edith Lenczner told me that organizing the dinner has been even more delicate now that Sarkozy is coming, and she hopes to keep the press in a separate hall with a giant TV screen to watch the speeches. Some would say this sounds like an idea Sarkozy himself would have suggested.

The CRIF annual dinner was never meant to become a central political event of national importance; it started out as a simple distinguished meeting between Jewish leaders and political officials where the CRIF shared its fears, ideas and projects. Throughout the years, though, an increasing number of public figures have attended the event. High-ranking leaders, the whole government and the opposition, TV stars, singers, ambassadors of numerous countries -- from China to Tunisia -- and even controversial figures wouldn't miss the event and press their Jewish friends to get them in. Jacques Chirac's lawyer, Francis Szpiner, called his most influential clients to get a seat, without managing to do so. The dinner, speeches and cocktail reception are even broadcasted live on French TV, because everyone knows this is the place to be, and that an important message will be delivered.

In 2002, Roger Cukierman, the excellent former CRIF leader, denounced the growing anti-Semitism in France at a time when Lionel Jospin's government was still denying its existence.

In 2003 Cukierman criticized the "Brown-red-green alliance," implying that the extreme left had joined the extreme right and fundamentalist Muslims, symbolized by the color green, in an anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic allegiance. The speech launched a great controversy, because the audience misunderstood Cukierman and thought he was attacking the Green environmentalist party, whose leader Gilles Lemaire left the dinner angrily. Cukierman never openly cleared up the misunderstanding, and some of his enemies within the Jewish community accuse him of enjoying the attention and headlines too much to admit he never intended to attack the nature-friendly Greens, who do tend to strongly criticize Israel at times.

Every year the CRIF tries to impress by inviting a special guest involved in some recent news event. Robert Redecker, the philosophy teacher who had to run for his life after criticizing Islam in a newspaper column, was invited along with anti-terror judge Bruguière, Ilan Halimi's family and the policeman who saved a young Jewish soccer fan from an enraged crowd of Jew-haters trying to lynch him, etc. This year's special guest will be a newlywed couple: top model Carla Bruni and Sarkozy himself.

Sarkozy's participation is appreciated by the CRIF, but some observers, such as the newsmagazine Marianne, criticize the move, arguing that it shows once again that Sarkozy is encouraging religious communities to lobby for their interests in a strongly secular state.

"We shouldn't be ashamed to lobby for Israel, against anti-Semitism and in favor of inter-religious dialogue," Pierre Besnainou, the former head of the European Jewish Congress, told me last year when he was still running the organization.

French observers, mainly the left-wing press Liberation, Charly Hebdo and Marianne, fear that the Jewish annual happening will open Pandora's box, strengthen other communities, including Muslim extremists, and weaken the French secular identity, the nation's apparent immunity against fundamentalism and terror.

The process they dread so much had already begun when Sarkozy created a few years back the CFCM (French Muslim Council), an Islamic CRIF. From this Muslim council emerged the UOIF (Islamic Organizations' Union of France), a fundamentalist body.

"Sarkozy the bigot is endangering secularity" was Marianne's main headline last week. The magazine printed a series of articles and a picture of Sarkozy with a white-bearded rabbi, mistakenly identified as the French Chief Rabbi Joseph Sitruk, when he was in fact David Messas, the rabbi of Paris.

Sarkozy's favorable attitude toward religion; as well as his speeches in the Vatican, where he pleaded for a "positive secularity," and in Saudi Arabia, where he said religion saved civilization from man's extremism, shocked French observers.

Those who criticize his position don't accept the concept of positive or negative secularism, saying secularism is an intrinsic notion; they don't accept the growing importance of communities and say that the republic should be lobby-free.

However, fundamentalism does exist in France as well as fundamentalist lobbies. They are also active in European Union bodies.

Maybe Sarkozy's "positive secularism" is a way of battling against extremists while recognizing a community's right to defend its security and interests.

Maybe it begins by trying to understand religion, the right to practice and by avoiding mixing up all rabbis and imams.

Maybe then would France's cherished secularity be truly protected.

France wants Israel in Mediterranean Union

2008-02-04T20:41:00.000+01:00

01/02/2008

The French Jewish community is preparing to devote all its energies to ensuring Israel is included in any forthcoming Mediterranean Union.

“The Mediterranean Union project and the possible absence of Israel is our first concern today,” Richard Prasquier, the head of French umbrella Jewish organisation CRIF, told the JC.

A Euro-Mediterranean free-trade zone is due to be launched in 2010, as envisaged by the 1995 Barcelona Process. The Mediterranean Union would have increasing involvement with the EU, eventually sharing common institutions with it.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy — described by Israeli premier Ehud Olmert as “one of the rare heads of state to maintain an unchanged enthusiastic attitude towards Israel even after his election” — remains a close ally of the Jewish state. He is expected to participate in the upcoming 60th anniversary celebrations and supports a Mediterranean Union counting Israel among its important members.

But the Jewish community wonders whether Mr Sarkozy will remain firm in his plans. Several Muslim countries such as Libya have demanded it be excluded.

“We know that some officials are trying to undermine Israel’s importance in the Mediterranean region and we must stress that the Jewish nation played throughout history a central role in Mediterranean countries. Israel’s place is therefore unquestionable,” continued Mr Prasquier.

The Mediterranean Union, which could eventually take over from the Barcelona Process, will take centre stage at the annual CRIF dinner next month, where Mr Sarkozy is expected to address the community’s concern.

“We do not want the Mediterranean Union to turn into a new Francophonie, the International French-speaking Organisation, from which Israel is absent, although hundreds of thousands of Israelis speak French,” explained Mr Prasquier.

Former president Jacques Chirac failed to put an end to the “boycott” of Israel by the International Francophone Organisation, which includes over 50 states. In October 2002 the French-Israeli journalist Gideon Koutz, who heads the Foreign Press Association in France and was covering the Francophone summit, was expelled from Lebanon for holding Israeli nationality. “We must avoid a second such situation,” said Mr Prasquier, who is expected to accompany Mr Sarkozy to Israel in May.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is considered one of the obstacles that blocked the Barcelona Process, next to the unrest in the Maghreb and troubled Muslim-Christian relations.

However, Israeli officials remain confident over the Mediterranean Union.

“French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner assured us we were ‘inside’ the project, and since the initiative is led by the French, we are not concerned,” Israeli embassy spokeswoman Nina Ben Ami told the JC. “We’re in favour of the project. Anything that brings closer civilisation and religion is viewed positively by Israel.”

If successful, the Mediterranean Union could boost relations between Israel and Arab countries and give a new platform to multilateral talks on trade, industrial and scientific cooperation.

“Entering the Mediterranean Union would have psychological implications first because Israel would be recognised by its Arab neighbours,” political scientist Raphael Drai told the JC. “And there are economical implications, since North African markets would open up and deals would be sealed with countries that produce raw materials.”

Although building a consensus over the union might take time, he said, “this union […] will assist North African development, so the populations would remain in their countries of origin and not immigrate massively to Europe. The union would bring security and stability.”

Gunmen attack Israeli embassy in Mauritania

2008-02-01T19:29:00.002+01:00

With AFP

The Israeli embassy in Nouakchott was attacked on Friday before dawn by gunmen who opened fire at the building, wounding at least three passersby, all French nationals. The embassy was empty at the time of the attack and none of its employees was wounded.

I called Boaz Bismuth, the Israeli ambassador in Mauritania, who used to work here in Paris as a journalist up until three-four years ago, to know more about this attack at a time when Mauritania is facing an increasing terror threat. (article for France 24)

In the interview, the Israeli ambassador in Mauritania Boaz Bismuth declared: “We heard the shots at 2.20 AM, when the streets of Nouakchott were quiet and the embassy was empty.”
“According to our sources," Bismuth added, "a sole gunman opened fire at the building."

The attack, described as an “act of terror” by Israel, comes one month after the murder of four French tourists by men who claimed to belong to Al Qaeda and after France cancelled the Paris-Dakar rally for security reasons. However, the Israeli ambassador remains cautious:

“We can’t say the shooting was a minor incident; this kind of attack against an embassy never is. But we are not planning to increase security measures, which are already quite intense.” Boaz Bismuth said “We are examining the exact circumstances of the incident before issuing a statement on its nature."

Israel is not planning to repatriate employees of its embassy in Mauritania, one of the rare countries of the Arab League to maintain diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. The ambassador stressed that Israel attaches great importance to its relations with Mauritania.

“We have excellent relations with Mauritania which is one of the three Arab countries, with which we have full diplomatic ties and I am pleased by the numerous messages of solidarity we have received since this morning from Mauritanians,” added the ambassador.

The attack occurred in the middle of the night. According to a source quoted by the AFP, a Mauritanian witness, Ali Fall, reported there were five wounded, among them a “foreign woman." According to the news agency, this was in fact a French national.

A group of men “came out of a car and walked up to a restaurant near the embassy” said the witness. A few minutes later “they shouted “Allah Akbar” and shot” at the embassy, added the witness. The guards posted in front - all Mauritanian soldiers – returned fire immediately, and the assailants left the area.

"It is a clear act of terrorism that entered the long line of attacks that have targeted our diplomatic representation abroad for several years," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel told AFP.

The attack occurred at a time when protest is growing in Mauritania for a suspension of the diplomatic ties with Israel which were established in 1999 under President Maaouiya Ould Taya, who was since overthrown in the 2005 military coup.

The diary that could explain Vichy to the French

2008-01-11T01:09:00.001+01:00

French newspapers have praised as exceptional and “literary event of the new year” the diary of Helene Berr, which was published last week, 62 years after her death in the Bergen-Belsen death camp.

Life appeared very promising for Helene Berr at 21. From a wealthy Parisian family, she was an excellent student, a talented violinist, and engaged to be married to a man she loved.

Then came the Nazi occupation of Paris. The resulting destruction of Jewish life, suffering and discrimination was meticulously recorded in a diary Berr kept from 1942 until her deportation to — and eventual death at — Bergen-Belsen in 1944.

The publication of this diary, which the media have compared to that of Dutch teenager Anne Frank, has stunned the French public.

“With this diary, we seem to understand for the first time the horror and absurdity Jews had to face every day in occupied Paris,” wrote the Liberation newspaper.

Berr, whose father was a successful businessman, was a bright English student whose ambition was to teach, until the law banned Jews from becoming professors.

Berr lucidly describes the chain of downfalls and discrimination she experienced, the yellow star of David she was forced to wear, the stares of the “non-Jewish” French, those who felt sorry for her and those who blocked her from entering the underground trains or the garden she wanted to linger in with her fiancé Jean Morawiercki.

Six months after they met, Morawiercki enrolled in the Free French Forces, leaving Berr in Paris, where she devoted herself to helping other victims. Working with orphan children who had no chance of survival, Berr described the toddlers’ pathetic situation, their sickness and lonely lives.

She recounted how one boy, Bernard, whose mother and sister were deported, told her: “I’m certain they won’t come back alive.”

Berr’s last words in the journal, before her deportation, were: “Horror, horror, horror!” She died in Bergen-Belsen, beaten to death, according to some witnesses, or from typhus, according to others. Only days later, the US Army liberated the camp.

Berr wrote she needed to transcribe her feelings and thoughts so that her fiancé Jean Morawiercki would know everything she went through, and the document was kept in her family until her niece, Mariette Job, decided it was too important to remain private.

She launched steady efforts to get her family’s approval and have the diary exhibited. Her efforts lead to a fist exhibit of Berr’s story at the Shoah memorial in 2002 and to the publication of Berr’s diary today, at last.

New year resolutions

2007-12-28T01:27:00.000+01:00

The French have never been more ambitious on the eve of a new year than they are on this holiday season – the first of the Sarkozy era. A dynamic push from our tireless president led us to an unprecedented number of new year resolutions. The French will smoke less in 2008 and work more, as the government is moving forward with a plan that could put an end to the renowned ‘35-hour week’. But more than anything, France is aiming for world peace.

Solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, once referred to as “the black hole of all conflicts” by former FM Michel Barnier, is France’s secret resolution for 2008, as it tries to maintain its international stature, and French diplomacy evaluates that pressing for a quick creation of a Palestinian State could be an efficient way to reach its goal.

FM Bernard Kouchner placed the creation of a Palestinian State at the center of the Paris Donor Conference organized on December 17 and went as far as to joke around and declare: “And the winner is: The Palestinian State!” in his final press conference with Mahmoud Abbas.

My friend the Israeli journalist Shmuel Tal told Kouchner that one of the main actors, Hamas, was absent from the Paris conference, and therefore no decisive progress was possible. However, Sari Nusseibeh, former PLO representative in Jerusalem, told me he thought that, on the contrary, no positive evolution would ever be possible with Hamas.
“Hamas ideology, its nature, cannot change,” said Nusseibeh. “The only solution is to move forward and attract gradually Hamas supporters.”

Aside from peace, the quest of love and good business are two of the main new year resolutions for 2008. For the first time in history, French newspapers have started a ‘shiduchim’ campaign to find new love for the recently divorced president.

All of the country’s dailies, radios and most TV stations have treated Sarkozy as the new ‘bachelor’, first trying to match him with various local stars and then widely reporting on his 3-week dating affair with former top model Carla Bruni, with whom he has apparently spent Christmas in Egypt. The love story took center stage in the media and some have accused President Sarkozy of using his liaison to take attention away from the recent Gaddafi fiasco – the Libyan leader’s exuberant visit in France - which left many French speechless. No analyst can seriously support such a maneuver, yet one must stress that the president’s red carpet invitation to the Libyan leader, in exchange for multi-billion dollar business deals, was highly criticized, even within his own party and government.

“Colonel Gaddafi must understand that France is not a doormat on which a leader, terrorist or other, may wipe his bloody shoes” declared young secretary of state to Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Rama Yade.

“Gaddafi has turned us into fools” – wrote France Soir editor Gérard Carreyrou. “God created the world in six days and Gadaffi used his 6-day visit to mock everyone: the French Republic, our elected president and millions of citizens.”

“We’ve given Gaddafi a red carpet treatment to the eyes of the world,” said opposition member François Bayrou. “We sold away our values for a bunch of uncertain trade deals with Libya [..] signing defense agreements that turn us into Tripoli’s ally. [..] As a result, France will be marginalized and weakened.”

“France has been dishonored!” wrote Pascal Brukner, an author who is generally among Sarkozy’s supporters. “We’ve already humiliated ourselves with a presidential visit to the Anti-Semitic Algerian regime, with enthusiastic phone calls to Putin and with a visit from Hugo Chavez. When will we unroll a red carpet for M. Ahmadinejad?”
(Some critics added President Bush to the list of Sarkozy’s questionable contacts.)

The critics recalled Gaddafi’s recent renewed support for terror, when stating at the Lisbon EU-Africa summit that terror was the weapon of the weak. They also stressed his lack respect for human rights in Libya, and more specifically the affair of the Bulgarian nurses, imprisoned for years although they were innocent.

“Gaddafi has 6 million hostages – Libya’s inhabitants,” wrote Charly Hebdo Weekly.
However loud and unanimous throughout Paris, critics were silenced, almost forgotten and unsuspected in various events organized for the Libyan guest.

I had the rare opportunity to attend a gathering of women in favor of Gaddafi which seamed as anything from surreal to hallucinating. The mere topic of the conference: ‘women’s rights’ was yet another attempt by Gaddafi to embarrass the French. In preceding days he accused them of neglecting human rights and failing to respect their immigrants - turning Western criticism of Libya against Europe.

Hundreds of women from African countries such as Senegal, Mali, Libya and Northern African countries dressed in traditional and glamorous dresses, many of them veiled, cheered Gaddafi in his three-hour appearance as if he were a rock star, waiving veils with his picture and applauding everyone of his extraordinary statements.
The atmosphere was so unusual that an elected representative of the Jewish community found herself greeting Gaddafi in the name of the community. – I was later asked not to report on this in the local media to avoid unnecessary embarrassment, as this was anything but planned.
“I’m here to save Europe,” said Gaddafi. “Europeans abandon their children on the streets, and when these children grow up they can reach powerful positions and then their psychological trauma can lead them to launch wars and genocides.”
Gaddafi persuaded the assembly that working is not always in women’s best interest.
“Men and women have equal rights, but not equal duties,” he said “Women shouldn’t lower themselves to certain jobs which may be decent for men, but not for them.” “Women have so much to do at home – They start a second job once they come home from their official working place.”
A veiled woman turned to me, laughing, and said “Well, the men are the ones who should start changing”.

A delegate from UNESCO turned to Gaddafi and asked him to contribute to the education of African girls. Gaddafi answered that the European women are the ones who should be saved, getting cheers from the crowd.

One can wonder how women living in Europe can cheer and hail such words and bow to such a dictator. While talking and observing several women and their address to Gaddafi I noted there were different crowds. Some women chairing various African associations were trying to get Gaddafi’s attention on various problems they were facing, lobbying the leader for women’s interests. Others were simply overwhelmed, trying desperately to get a picture of the “guide of the revolution” on their cell phones, cheering every word.

Will Gaddafi’s criticism against France’s immigration policies have an effect on France’s troubled suburbs? Some experts fear that it may. And the effect can be revealed when one speaks with some immigrants.

One of my Moroccan journalist colleagues, Fatima, told me today that France had some nerve accusing Libya of failing to respect human rights.

“It is in France that human rights are not respected,” she told me in the way Gaddafi stated it a week ago, “You French have a limited notion of human rights. Human rights are not about freedom of speech, they are also, and mainly about giving everyone the chance to earn a living.”
“Whenever I get to a job interview, even in state offices, my resume is suddenly not good enough,” she added. “Human rights are about dignity and I don’t feel that I have that here in France.”

Political scientists such as Zaki Laidi evaluate that inviting dictators like Gaddafi only reinforces them and weakens those who oppose them, and Laidi questions the results of Sarkozy’s will to respect such guests he is forced to invite for strategic and economic reasons, selling them nuclear plants and various weapons.

Sarkozy argues that Libya has abandoned terror. He adds that he is not alone and that time has come to reintegrate Libya in the ‘International community’.

The French may be asking themselves other questions: whether their country has invited such guests in order to regain its past international stature, whether France will succeed in its attempt to reintegrate, or cling to, the ‘powerful nations community’ or whether the very resolved Sarkozy is experiencing his first presidential setback.

Sarkozy faces antisemitic jibes in Algeria

2007-12-07T04:00:00.000+01:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s first official visit to Algeria this week was overshadowed after he became the target of antisemitic insults.

Only a few days prior to the visit, Algerian minister Mohamed Cherif Abbés claimed in the El–Khabar newspaper that Mr Sarkozy had been elected through the manoeuvres of “the Jewish lobby” and made reference to the president’s Jewish origins.

The Algerian authorities refused to apologise for the assault, and Socialist leaders Jean-Christophe Cambadélis and Pierre Moscovici pleaded for a rescheduling of the trip, stating the attack was “intolerable”.

However, Mr Sarkozy decided to push forward with the meeting, attempting to consolidate tense bilateral ties and to sign $5 billion (£2.5bn) of energy deals.

Mr Abbés’s comments were not the first antisemitic attacks launched against Mr Sarkozy. Extremist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen has pointed at Mr Sarkozy’s ancestors, saying “he is Jewish through his mother”, and several weeks ago Mr Sarkozy was even accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. But Mr Abbés’s assault was the first public antisemitic attack made by an Algerian official and was followed by the Algerian authorities’ refusal to allow entrance to one of Mr Sarkozy’s guests on the visit, a French-Jewish singer of Algerian descent, Enrico Macias. The French Jewish umbrella group CRIF said it was “disgusted” by these decisions.

The attacks may have been intentional, coming at a time when Algeria is trying to make its mark in the region. Mr Sarkozy, who has strengthened relations with Morocco, Algeria’s rival, wants to develop a Mediterranean Union that would include Israel, but Algeria prefers to keep Israel out.

However, the most obvious issues of discord were France’s past colonial rule in North Africa and Mr Sarkozy’s refusal to issue an official apology, as well as his immigration policy, which has been strongly criticised in Algeria.

The French president chose to remain focused on his mission, condemning colonisation but refusing to issue an excuse. He replied to the minister’s antisemitic attacks in his speech, calling for a fight against racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.

“Nothing resembles antisemitism more than the hatred of Islam,” Mr Sarkozy told the Algerian Parliament. “Antisemitism and Islamophobia have the same face, the face of foolishness and hatred. We can’t explain them, we simply have to fight against them.”

Letter from Paris courthouse

2007-12-07T03:42:00.001+01:00

Something unusual happened in the small 11th Appeals courtroom of Paris on Nov. 14. The footage used for a September 2000 report by French TV on the death of Mohammad al Dura in the Gaza Strip was screened and examined by a judge in a slander trial against an Internet site that had claimed the Al Dura report was forged.

Charles Enderlin, the veteran correspondent of French public television in the Middle East and author of the report, described to the judge every segment of the footage filmed by his cameraman at the Netzarim junction, while Enderlin was in Ramallah. The journalist maintained that his report was genuine and accused the Internet site, Media-Ratings, of slander, but, for the first time since the events of September 2000, the French news agency, AFP, concluded that something was wrong with Enderlin's report.

"The [edited] TV report ends with an image of the boy laying still, leading the viewer to believe that the boy was killed in the shooting, but in the unreleased footage screened in court, we could see in the following seconds the boy moving his arm," read the AFP story, adding that this did not exclude the possibility that the boy died later.

AFP added that Enderlin refused to answer its questions after the hearing.The trial, attended by no major French media except for the AFP correspondent, might shed new light on the Al Dura affair and on media coverage in general.

During the first few years, French television succeeded in avoiding major criticism regarding the Al Dura report and Enderlin's firm statement accusing Israeli soldiers of killing the young boy, but in 2004 the course of events changed when two renowned journalists began investigating the case.

Senior French editors Denis Jeambar and Daniel Leconte were alerted by former Le Monde journalist Luc Rosenzweig on possible misreporting by Enderlin, and they requested to view the footage. Jeambar and Leconte published a story criticizing Enderlin's work in January 2005. It pointed out some troubling details, such as the staged battle scenes filmed by Talal Abu Rahma in the first part of the footage, the lack of evidence proving Enderlin's claim that the bullets were shot from the Israeli position and other major details, such as the lack of blood on the victims, although Enderlin said the Al Duras had been hit by bullets.

Enderlin declared that he had edited the images to avoid showing the boy's last minutes of agony. But in the footage, there was no trace of these images. However, Enderlin's theory stood as unquestionable reality, and Abu Rahma's images weren't questioned or analyzed.

Jeambar and Leconte called on French TV to launch its own internal inquiry, citing a lack of journalistic standards, but did not share the theory of a possible staging of Al Dura's death.

Five years after the incident, Arlette Chabot, French public TV's new head news editor, told Jewish radio and the Paris Herald Tribune that "no one knew who shot at Muhammad al Dura," but she maintained that accusing Enderlin of forgery was pure slander and confirmed the case against Media-Ratings' owner Philippe Karsenty.

Was public French TV trying to shake off growing criticism from senior journalists by suing a small Internet site for defamation?

The hearing was probably not the result it was aiming for.

The trial against Karsenty, which French TV expected to win easily, turned unexpectedly into a first public re-examination of the TV report, when the judge demanded to view the footage before ruling whether the accused was guilty of slander.

This strategy might pull Enderlin even farther down. Jeambar and Leconte criticized a possible lack of journalist deontology, but Karsenty's charges denouncing an alleged forged report pushes Enderlin to a rougher spot.

Furthermore, only 18 minutes were provided by Enderlin, when Abu Rahma claimed originally to have filmed 27.

For Karsenty and others, this has become a far-reaching battle.

"The Al Dura report has had terrible consequences, causing hatred against Israel, Jews and the West," Karsenty told me. "It generated violence and terror when it became a symbol throughout the world and was invoked in the killing of Daniel Pearl, among other tragedies. This fabricated symbol, represented on stamps, graffiti and even monuments, could sink in and generate profound hatred for several generations. We have to repair the damage now, before it's too late."

The trial will resume on Feb. 27.

Soldiers in the Park

The mayor of Paris surprised me today.

Let's face it, like every other resident of our capital, I've gotten used to complaining over just about every little detail that could annoy our beautiful and privileged life. A Parisian cannot visualize life without his five-week yearly vacation, without his regular three-day weekends, etc., and the more he gets used to his privileges, the more he gets annoyed by anything that could disturb his quiet life.

In the very same way, we all desire that our city hall would understand and endorse our political views, even when they don't concern the city or even our country.

It seems that our mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, has become a true gymnast in the diplomatic sport of pleasing various lobbies based in our district.

Delanoe is a communications pro who knows how to address crowds and who would love to become the next resident of the Elysee presidential palace.

Although I have no intention of campaigning for the mayor, I cannot reasonably ignore the way he managed the campaign for the liberation of the three abducted Israeli soldiers these past few months.

The mayor launched in the summer of 2006 a solidarity campaign in favor of civilians in Lebanon and in Israel. When he received the families of the three abducted soldiers, Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, he promised to hang their pictures in the city and call for their quick liberation, just as he did for French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt and for various journalists detained in Iraq.

All of those who heard Delanoe smiled and thought that the pictures would never see the light of day, and that if they were hung, it would be in some dark corner of an abandoned neighborhood in the outskirts of Paris. However, Delanoe instructed that the poster be placed in the beautiful Bercy Park, more specifically in the Yitzhak Rabin Garden, which is a leisure area for thousands of Parisians.

A few days after the poster was placed in the park, and just after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert found a few minutes to stroll through the garden when visiting his friend French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, an anti-Zionist group, the CAPJPO, tagged the poster with the inscription, "Occupation army," turning the tribute into an anti-Israeli message.

It was quite disturbing to see the soldiers' portraits covered with graffiti, although the move was expected, but my greatest surprise came when I visited Rabin Garden to see if the pictures have been further damaged. To my astonishment, new pictures of the soldiers had been put up, but this time even higher, so that vandals could not reach them easily.

The fact is that CAPJPO's operation, filmed and posted on the Web, led to even stronger support for the liberation. The pictures stand high, where passersby can see them, and the city stood by its controversial campaign.

As would any self-respecting Parisian, I would end the story with a slightly bitter note. MEP and Deputy Mayor Pierre Schapira is the official who managed the operation, which was somewhat surprising, since Schapira is one of those who remain reluctant to add Hezbollah to the EU list of terror groups.

When I asked him three years ago in a Jewish commemoration event if he thought Hezbollah should be added to the list, he simply answered that it already was on the list. When I insisted that I was asking about Hezbollah, Schapira answered, "I heard you. It's on the list." For a minute there, I almost believed that it was.

Olmert Sees Conference as Step

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert visited Paris in October, meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy mainly to discuss Iran and this month's Annapolis conference. When meeting with a small group of Jewish community leaders later the same day, Olmert gave little hope regarding the conference:

"Annapolis will not be a negotiation but an umbrella of support in order to move toward negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

Olmert described Sarkzoy as a "genuine friend of Israel and the Jewish people" who, unlike others, "did not change his ways after his election to the presidency."

"If I could tell you what he told me ... you would feel much better, less preoccupied about our future" Olmert repeated, while smiling. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you."

Olmert concluded by telling the elderly community leaders, professors and businessmen that he was moved when he saw "their shiny eyes looking at him."

The Annapolis paradox

2007-11-26T18:10:00.001+01:00

(Edited by France 24)

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting – along with representatives of more than 40 countries and organisations – in Annapolis, Maryland, to try and resume the Mideast peace process, seven years after the Camp David summit ground to a halt.

It’s a meeting of moderate leaders on either side of a fractious conflict that has dragged for more than half-a-century.

According to Nissim Zvili, former Israeli MP and ex-Israeli ambassador to France, never before in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have leaders from both sides held closer standpoints as Abbas and Olmert.

And yet, like most Middle East experts, Zvili believes their chances for reaching an official agreement are slim.

“The paradox is that Annapolis gathers leaders who are moderate, they both share the vision of a two-state solution and agree on the need to negotiate the question of (Palestinian) refugees and (the status of) Jerusalem, yet they cannot reach an agreement because they are both too weak,” said Zvili.

Domestically, both Abbas and Olmert are politically weak leaders. After the 2006 war with Hezbollah, Olmert’s approval ratings have dipped and few Israelis trust Olmert to make a deal with the Palestinians.

On the Palestinian side, Abbas has effectively lost control of a segment of the Palestinian nation since his Fatah party was routed out of the Gaza Strip by the Islamic Hamas movement in June. The legitimacy of Abbas, as the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) – the interim administrative organisation that governs the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories –will be questioned by a segment of the Palestinian population.

As Bilal Hassan, noted journalist and former member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), puts it, Abbas is in an unenviable position. “If Abbas accepts the Israeli conditions, the crisis within the Palestinian nation will increase – I believe that’s exactly where we’re heading,” he said. “On the other hand, if Abbas refuses the Israeli conditions, tensions will rise between the PA and Israel.”

Don’t expect a deal

No official document is expected to come out of Annapolis and even the final common statement US President George Bush was counting on seems further than ever as disagreements have emerged over most of the issues plaguing past peace summits.

However, analysts say Annapolis could have positive results and that its mere existence could lead to future talks and give new a dynamic to the Israeli-Palestinian process.

“The main goal of Annapolis is to strengthen Abbas and to show Palestinians that the moderate way leads to compensations, contrary to the violent methods of Hamas,” Frederic Encel, from the Paris-based Institut français de géopolitique, told FRANCE 24. “Obviously the Bush administration and Ehud Olmert are also hoping to gain some benefits for themselves out of the conference, as they’re both in a weak position.”

Days before the conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US would try to close the Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before Bush leaves office in January 2009.

Israeli President Shimon Peres also appeared pessimistic regarding the American administration’s hope for a quick breakthrough in negotiations: “A Mideast deal would be impossible to settle during the term of President Bush,” he admitted to reporters.

Hopes on the ‘moderate axis’

Much of the hopes for Annapolis rest on what President Bush refers to as the “moderate axis,” that promoted the 2002 Beirut peace plan.

“The goal of Annapolis is also to try and strengthen this ‘moderate axis’, of which Saudi Arabia is a major actor,” said Zvili. “The goal is also to encourage Syria to join the moderate circle.”

In some respects, Annapolis has succeeded in pushing parties closer to that goal. For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia – which has never recognised the state of Israel - will be sitting at the table with Israel to discuss Middle East peacemaking.

Rice has expressed the hope that Annapolis could be a “launching pad” for the two-state solution.

Analysts believe that most Palestinians support a two-state solution. But a contentious issue is the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinian position is that a recognition of Israel as a Jewish state would forfeit the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Israel opposes the right of return since it would jeopardise its Jewish majority. And that, says Encel, lies at the heart of the problem.

“The crucial issue Palestinians and Israelis have to address today is the fundamental need to genuinely recognise one another. The other issues, such as the Israeli settlements and the Palestinian right of return, are not fundamental and can be resolved,” he said. “Palestinians see Israelis as Jews and Israelis see Palestinians as Arabs and as long as they keep their distorted vision, negotiations will fail. The Oslo agreement was a first step to mutual recognition as Israel accepted the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians recognised the state of Israel. But both parties have to go further. Peace cannot be reached otherwise.”

French court examines Al Dura footage

2007-11-15T10:23:00.002+01:00

15/11/2007

PARIS - A French appeals court screened footage Wednesday of the September 2000 television report on the death of Mohammad al-Dura, in a case of defamation brought against French television and its correspondent in the Middle East, Charles Enderlin.

The veteran journalist was accused in 2004 by Philippe Karsenty, the owner of an internet site, of broadcasting a staged report on the al-Dura killing, and of instigating hate against Israel and Jews throughout the world.

Karsenty was convicted in the original defamation trial, but a second trial ended with the judge demanding to examine the full footage of the al-Dura report before deciding whether Karsenty was guilty of defamation or not.

Enderlin explained in court each segment of the 18-minute footage- filmed on September 30, 2000 by his cameraman Talal Abu Rahma at Netzarim junction while Enderlin was in Ramallah- the street battles with dozens of people throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at an IDF outpost, an interview with a Fatah official, and the incident involving Mohammed al-Dura and his father in the last minute of the video.

Karsenty challenged Enderlin's explanations. "The boy moved his head after we heard the cameraman say he was dead. How do you explain this?" asked Karsenty. "Why is there no blood on their shirts although they had bullet wounds?"

Enderlin said that Talal Abu Rahma did not say that the boy had died, but that he was dying. The journalist maintained that only the Israelis shot at the al-Duras, explaining that he could hear the difference between the shooting of the Israeli rubber bullets and Palestinian regular ones.

Karsenty repeated several troubling details already pointed out in an article by senior journalists Denis Jeambar and Daniel Leconte in 2004, noting some staged scenes filmed by Abu Rahma in the first part of the footage, which they had examined at French TV studios with former le Monde journalist Luc Rosenzweig. Jeambar and Leconte called on French TV to launch its own internal inquiry, citing a possible lack of journalistic standards, but did not not share the theory of a possible staging of al-Dura's death.

"The al-Dura report has had terrible consequences, causing hate against Israel and Jews," Karsenty told Haaretz. "We have to repair the damage now, before it's too late."

Tension was high in the courtroom Wednesday, and some pro and anti-Enderlin militants were arguing loudly, causing some commotion. Dozens of Jewish bloggers were present at the courthouse.

Serge Kovacs, a friend and co-worker of Enderlin, said Enderlin was falsely accused and has become a "new Dreyfuss." Enderlin told journalists that there was no new "affair," and suggested they come to the next hearing on February 28.

Karsenty said that he intends to counter-attack French TV by pointing out that they only presented 18 minutes out of the 27 minutes Abu Rahma originally claimed to have shot.

"Bhutto isn't part of the opposition"

2007-11-15T00:02:00.001+01:00

Maryam Abou-Zahab, researcher, Pakistan expert at the Paris Institute of Political Studies reacts to Musharraf’s call for fresh elections.

Monday, November 12, 2007

FRANCE 24: Pervez Musharraf has announced that elections could be scheduled for January, but then he added that the state of emergency will continue. Can free elections be held in these conditions?

Abou-Zahab: The situation evolves from day to day in Pakistan. Today, no one can say if elections will take place and under what conditions. One thing that’s for certain is that it would be difficult to organise elections during a state of emergency.

If the elections are to be free and credible, it’s imperative that all the parties and candidates are free to campaign and travel within the country. This isn’t the case right now. Most notably, Nawaz Sharif must be allowed to return to Pakistan. Finally, security needs to be guaranteed throughout the country.

FR24: What forces are at play?

AZ: There’s no easy answer to this question. The situation is changing constantly. Alliances have not yet been struck. Keep in mind that there aren’t homogenous political blocs in Pakistan, and negotiations are underway between most political parties, often in secret.

The religious parties, nationalist Pashtun parties, Bhutto’s party and Musharraf’s followers are all engaged in different negotiations for eventual alliances.

Contrary to appearances, Bhutto isn’t part of the opposition. She’s simply a figure who wants to govern. She has, unlike others, complete freedom to move around as she wishes. As a result, this spectacle that we’ve been watching for the last three days is a show because she, like Musharraf, needs to save face.

You have to understand that Bhutto cannot obtain an absolute majority, and that she will have to find partners to form a coalition. At the same time, the democratic religious parties are divided. Some are in negotiations with Bhutto and don’t support a revolt against Musharraf.

F24: What are Musharraf’s reasons for first declaring a state of emergency then calling for elections to remain on schedule in January?

AZ: Musharraf is already unpopular due to the situation in the country and economic problems facing the population. But he was further weakened after the state of emergency was declared. Musharraf is a strategist and he played the election card in order to get back into the game. However, other twists and turns are possible. We are in a period of absolute uncertainty.

Musharraf knows that his survival is assured thanks to American support. The United States has certainly criticised the state of emergency, but their position remains ambiguous. All the different American political players have been hot and cold during this crisis: President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, the State Department and former officials have staked out contradictory positions.

Musharraf knows that their biggest concern is the establishment of security and that their stated worries about the maintenance of democratic values is nothing other than a façade to seal the leaks in Musharraf’s system, which they count on.

FR24: How can the Pakistani people survive during this troubled period with both a state of emergency and political confrontation?

AZ: The population isn’t really affected by the state of emergency because their problems are deeper and more immediate: the difficulties of finding food, rising prices, inflation, unemployment and insecurity, etc.

Pakistanis are not mobilised to protest in the streets. They are, however, tired of the political leadership on all sides that cannot solve their problems.

But, contrary to many commonly held beliefs, the Pakistanis are not ready to sign up with religious extremists either.

The democratic religious parties have very weak electoral support, and the militant Islamists cannot attract much of a following. They aren’t a major risk today, and the large majority of Pakistanis aren’t responding to their message.

Musharraf le joueur sort ses carte

2007-11-13T01:29:00.001+01:00

« Bhutto ne fait pas partie de l'opposition »

Mariam ABOU-ZAHAB, chercheur au CERI, Sciences-Po Paris, nous donne sa lecture des événements au Pakistan.

lundi 12 novembre 2007
Par Shirli Sitbon

Pervez Musharraf vient d’annoncer que des élections pourraient avoir lieu dès janvier, mais il a ajouté que l’état d’urgence sera maintenu. Des élections peuvent-elles être libres dans ces conditions ?

La situation évolue de jour en jour au Pakistan, personne ne peut dire aujourd’hui si les élections auront lieu ni dans quelles conditions. Ce qui est certain c’est qu’il est difficile d’organiser des élections sous l’état d’urgence.

Pour que des élections soient libres et crédibles, il est indispensable que tous les partis et candidats puissent faire campagne librement et se déplacer dans le pays. Ce n’est pas le cas actuellement. Il faut notamment que Nawaz Sharif puisse rentrer au Pakistan. Et par ailleurs, garantir la sécurité sur l’ensemble du territoire.

Quelles sont les forces en jeu?

Cette question n’a pas de réponse simple. La situation change continuellement. Les alliances ne sont pas encore faites.

Il faut savoir que contrairement aux idées reçues il n’y a pas de blocs politiques homogènes au Pakistan et les négociations sont en cours entre la plupart des partis, parfois dans la discrétion. Les partis religieux, les partis nationalistes pachtouns, le parti de Bhutto, les partisans de Musharraf notamment sont tous engagés dans différentes négociations pour d’éventuelles alliances.

Bhutto ne fait pas partie de l'opposition contrairement aux apparences. C’est une figure politique qui veut gouverner. Elle a, contrairement à d’autres, une liberté de mouvement complète.

Le spectacle que l’on voit depuis trois jours, est pour ainsi dire du cinéma car elle doit, tout comme Musharraf, sauver la face. Il faut comprendre que Bhutto ne peut obtenir une majorité absolue et qu’elle doit trouver des partenaires pour former une coalition.

De leurs côtés, les partis religieux démocratiques sont divisés. Certains sont engagés dans des négociations avec Bhutto et ne sont pas favorables à une révolte contre Musharraf.

Pour quelles raisons Musharraf a-t-il successivement décrété l’état d’urgence puis appelé à la tenue d’élections en janvier ?

Musharraf est un leader déjà impopulaire à cause de la situation dans le pays et des problèmes économiques auxquels font face les habitants.
Mais on peut dire qu’il s’est davantage affaibli depuis qu’il a décrété l’état d’urgence. Puisque Musharraf est joueur, il a sorti la carte des élections pour relancer l’échiquier. Mais d’autres rebondissements sont possibles. Nous sommes dans une période d’incertitude totale.

Musharraf sait que sa survie est assurée grâce au soutien américain. Les Etats-Unis ont certes critiqué l’état d’urgence mais leur position est ambigüe. Les différents responsables politiques ont soufflé le chaud et le froid dans cette affaire, le président Bush, le Congrès, Condoleezza Rice, le département d’Etat et d’anciens responsables ont émis des positions contradictoires. Musharraf sait que leur grande préoccupation est l’instauration de la sécurité et que leur souci du maintien des valeurs démocratiques n’est qu’une préoccupation de façade pour calfeutrer les failles du système Musharaf sur lequel ils comptent.

Comment la nation pakistanaise vit-elle cette période mouvementée, l’état d’urgence et la confrontation politique ?

La population n’est pas touchée par l’état d’urgence car ses problèmes sont plus profonds et immédiats : les difficultés de se nourrir, la hausse des prix, l’inflation, le chômage, l’insécurité, etc.

Les Pakistanais ne sont pas mobilisés pour descendre dans la rue et manifester. Ils sont en revanche lassés par les leaders politiques de tous bords qui n’apportent pas de solutions à leurs problèmes.

Mais contrairement à certaines idées reçues, les Pakistanais ne sont pas non plus prêts à s’engager sur le terrain de l’extrémisme religieux.

Les partis religieux démocratiques disposent d’une base électorale extrêmement faible et les islamistes militants de leur côté ne parviennent pas à attirer le soutien du peuple. Ils ne représentent pas de risque majeur aujourd’hui et la grande majorité des Pakistanais n’adhère pas à leur discours.

Defence lawyer in Selam case: 'anti-Semitic insults but not anti-Semitic murder'

2007-11-09T02:56:00.001+01:00

Lawyer Ambroise Colombani, who represents Adel Amastaibou, answered our questions regarding the murder of Sebastien Selam:

He admitted that his client said to police that he was happy the 'dirty Jew was dead' but evaluated that his anti-Semitic insults were part of a delirious state.
"Do you realise how these policemen get confessions?" the lawyer asked me. "They nearly torture the suspects."
Mr. Colombani added that Adel Amastaibou wasn't even aware at the time that he had killed Sebastien Selam.

He also declared that the two men were friends until several months before the killing.

Article published in the JC on November 9:

French court re-opens case of stabbed DJ

French authorities have re-opened an investigation into the 2003 murder of a 23-year-old disc-jockey.

On the night of November 19, as Sebastien Selam was about to drive to the Paris night club where he worked, his neighbour Adel Amastaibou stabbed him to death in their building’s parking area.

After his arrest later that night, Amastaibou admitted to police that he had killed Mr Selam, claiming that he had heard voices that told him to stab his neighbour. According to the deposition, which the JC has seen, the killer said he was happy that “the dirty Jew was dead”.

Police considered that Amastaibou was mentally unstable and could not be held responsible for his actions.

“This is not a racial or a religious hate crime,” Ambroise Colombani, Amastaibou’s lawyer, said. “My client is much worst than unstable, he is very sick. His antisemitic insults were a part of his delirious state.”

In court, Mr Colombani presented psychiatric experts who diagnosed his client as unstable, and in 2006 the court sent Amastaibou to the Maison Blanche psychiatric hospital in Paris.

He has since been transferred from the hospital to another institution, but his lawyer confirmed that Amastaibou is still in a closed psychiatric institution.

At the time, Jewish leaders considered that since Amastaibou was diagnosed as insane there was no use in mobilising the community to have the murder recognised as a hate crime.

However, Mr Selam’s mother Juliette and her lawyer Alex Metzker do not believe the insanity theory.

“Obviously, a man who kills so savagely is deranged, but not irresponsible for his actions,” said Mr Metzker. According to Mr Metzker, Amastaibou was convicted of antisemitic violence several months before the Selam killing, after attacking a rabbi.

“He was considered sane at the time,” said the lawyer.

Amastaibou’s lawyer said he was not aware of this prior conviction.

Mrs Selam has managed to obtain a re-examination of the case over a technicality, and recently met with Jewish leaders and Christophe Ingrain, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s adviser on justice affairs, Sammy Ghozlan, the head of the vigilance bureau against anti-Semitism has told the JC.

“I believe things are changing. I believe the truth can be discovered,” Mrs Selam said.

Tribute turns to anti-Israel tribune

2007-11-08T04:52:00.001+01:00

The Paris support poster for the liberation of the three abducted Israeli soldiers, installed less than a month ago in Rabin garden (12th arrondissement), was destroyed by the CAPJPO organisation a few days ago.
Its members organised a 'destruction ceremony', during which they read a speech which they filmed and posted on the web.

French court examines whether murder of DJ is anti-Semitic

2007-10-30T02:54:00.001+01:00

The family of Sebastien Selam, who was murdered in November 2003, was received at the presidential palace on October 19.
The meeting was set a month after French justice decided to reopen its investigation on the killing of the 23-year-old DJ, in what might be considered as the first recent anti-Semitic murder in France, over two years before the killing of young phone salesman Ilan Halimi.

On the night of November 19, as Selam was about to drive to one of Paris’s most notorious night clubs, the Queen, where he had been working for several months, his neighbour Adel Amastaibou, a man known as unstable and violent, murdered the DJ in their building’s parking lot.

During his questioning in police head quarters later that night, Adel Amastaibou admitted to the police that he had killed Selam. According to the deposition typed by the police, the killer said he was happy that ‘the dirty Jew was dead’.

Investigators questioned several of Amastaibou’s friends and they have yet to determine whether some of them were his accomplices in the killing.

“We believe that the murder was premeditated,” Selam family lawyer Alex Metzker told me. “One of Adel Amastaibou’s friends lent him the knife he used, a second one guarded the entrance of the building and a third hid the murderer’s cell phone and gave it to the police only a month later, all deleted.”

The neighbourhood Jewish community was deeply affected by the murder and 3000 people attended the funeral,
I was working at the Jewish radio the night of the murder and talked to some of Selam’s friends, who were in shock.

However, Police considered that since Amastaibou had been treated in the past in a psychiatric institution he could not be held responsible for his actions.
When the case was examined in court, defence lawyer Ambroise Colombani gathered 3 Psychiatric expertises diagnosing his client as unstable and in 2006 the court discharged the case and Amastaibou was sent to the Maison Blanche hospital centre in Paris, where he had been treated in the past. He has since been transferred from the hospital to another institution, which remains under medical confidence.

“The Selam affair is a lost case,” former CRIF president Cukierman has told the Jewish press in 2004. He considered that since Amastaibou was diagnosed as insane there was no use for mobilising the Jewish community. Mr Cukierman wanted to avoid labelling a crime as anti-Semitic before police investigators confirmed that it was indeed a hate crime.

However, Selam’s mother Juliette and her lawyer do not believe the insanity theory.
“Obviously, a man who kills so savagely is deranged, but not irresponsible for his actions,” added Metzker. “He is a borderline case and he must be judged.”
Metzger stressed that Amastaibou had already been convicted by a court of anti-Semitic violence in an earlier case, several months before the Selam killing, after he had attacked a rabbi.
“He was considered sane at the time,” said the lawyer.

On September 17 2007, the victim’s mother Juliette Selam obtained a re-examination of the case after her new lawyer proved that the first court decision was never delivered to her by the post. The envelop was sitting on a shelf of the court’s archive room.

Cukierman’s successor at the head of the CRIF, Richard Prasquier, received Juliette Selam after his election and on October 19 Sebastien Selam’s mother was received at the Elysée presidential palace by Christophe Ingrain, President Sarkozy’s adviser on justice affaires.

“I believe things are changing. I believe the truth can be discovered,” Juliet Selam told me.
But Selam worries about the whereabouts of Amastaibou.
After her call for an appeal was accepted, Mrs Selam received letters from her son’s murderer, asking that she dropped the charges. Amastaibou announced in his letter that he would come to pay her a visit.
“This situation is insane,” Juliet Selam told the JC. “I am still living in the same building where my son was killed and I have nowhere to go.”

“Where do I find hope and courage to continue? He is looking at me from above and he wants me to get to the bottom of this,” Juliet Selam told the JC. “I simply have to know the truth about what exactly happened to my son.”

Letter from France: French first lady vanishes

2007-10-20T08:35:00.000+02:00

Cherchez la femme!

Where is Cecilia? French newspapers have been investigating the whereabouts of French first lady Cecilia Sarkozy because she has vanished from TV screens and media events. The spouse of President Nicolas Sarkozy has apparently disappeared from public life -- or at least from her husband's public life -- days before the launch of a special commission to investigate the "Libyan deal" signed between France and Libya for the liberation of Bulgarian nurses, in which Cecilia Sarkozy supposedly played a major role.

Cecilia Sarkozy was not expected to testify in front of the committee, although she spoke with Libyan President Muammar Kadhafi before the nurses where released. The French presidential palace ruled out any kind of questioning, but the media are nevertheless investigating the reasons for her silence.

"Has the presidential couple broken up again after its previous separation in 2005?" wondered The Express magazine. These questions have never been asked before in France, where public opinion didn't grant much importance to its leaders' private lives, even though some of them, such as François Mitterrand, led double lives with two separate families.

However, the Sarkozy family is somewhat different. Journalists explain that since Nicolas Sarkozy invited the press, on his own initiative, into his private life, they felt they had the right to follow up on the matter. The media, however, opted for extreme caution after the head editor of a major magazine (Paris Match) was fired after publishing a photo of Cecilia Sarkozy with her former lover, Jewish publicist Richard Attias. Nicolas Sarkozy befriends journalists but reacts strongly when they reveal certain details his PR team didn't send out to them.

Surveys show that the French admire Sarkozy for his energy and genuine will to change things in their country, but that they also have a hard time keeping up with him.

The Libyan affair is one example. Sarkozy surprised Europe when he sent his wife to Libya to wrap up the case and take the credit for the liberation of the nurses the next day. But the French are furthermore intrigued by the content of the deal that was settled with Kadhafi and the possible concessions made by Paris. A mysterious nuclear energy and weapons deal was concluded, according to the Libyans, and the French wonder what its exact implications are.

"We won't force Cecilia Sarkozy to testify if she doesn't wish to do so, but she and her husband are accountable," declared the head of the committee, Pierre Moscovici, on the Jewish radio station.

"We won't send the police to the presidential palace to get Cecilia," said another Socialist official, Elisabeth Guigou.

The committee will have to settle with hearing Claude Guéant, Sarkozy's chief adviser, who joined Cecilia Sarkozy in her Libyan mission, or vice versa. The committee launched its inquiry last week.

The rules have changed since Nicolas Sarkozy's election five months ago, just as was promised in his campaign. Former rules are no longer valid. Sarkozy wants results.

He recruited Socialist members of Parliament for his own government and various projects, among them American admirer FM Bernard Kouchner and American-hater former FM Hubert Vedrine. Sarkozy pulled one of his most serious rivals, former Socialist presidential candidate Dominique Strauss Kahn, out of the French political scene by pushing him up to the head of the International Monetary Fund.

The French president found appropriate ways to deal with his various opponents, starting with the racist and anti-Semitic far right. Sarkozy attracted Jean-Marie Le Pen's traditional voters with his ideas on immigration and contributed to Le Pen's first setback in decades. Five months after losing massively to Sarkozy in the presidential election, Le Pen's Front National is ruined and has practically collapsed.

This year alone, following its two electoral defeats in the presidential and parliamentary polls, the Front National lost over $11 million, and the party is now considering selling its historical headquarters. At 79, Le Pen is about to retire from a divided party that lost its voters, private donors and public funding.

The extremist threat, however, hasn't completely vanished, because a new and younger Le Pen will apparently follow the old one. Marine Le Pen, currently vice president of the Front National, has announced she would run for the presidency of her father's party once he has retired.

Analysts are divided upon the future of the party under Marine Le Pen's leadership, if she does inherit it from her father, because she has adopted, in appearance, much softer manners than her father's. Would Marine Le Pen's Front National be more moderate or more dangerous than today's far-right party?

She acts in a more subtle way than her father, who is regularly denounced for his extremist reactions. The daughter makes every possible effort to appear moderate and open, jumping on every opportunity to work with minorities, Jews, blacks and Arabs, hiding her irritation. Marine Le Pen is the one who decided that a black woman would appear on her party's campaign posters. She chose a Jewish deputy, Jean-Richard Sulzer, for the Paris Regional Council and asked, unsuccessfully, to meet with Jewish organizations.

When I met with Marine and Jean-Marie Le Pen in April, before the presidential election, she tried to joke around with me. But while smiling, she repeated that there was no anti-Semitism in France and therefore no reason to denounce such a phenomenon or fight against it.

Unfortunately, anti-Semitism does exist and some victims have to struggle to be considered as such.

The press reported on the Ilan Halimi affair -- the young man who was abducted in 2006 by a gang that hoped to get a ransom and ended up killing him -- but another murder, that of 23-year-old Jewish man, Sebastien Selam, is still silenced.

Selam, also known as DJ Lam-C, was a successful DJ who worked in some of the most prestigious nightclubs in Paris. On the night of Nov. 19, 2003, he was savagely assassinated by his neighbor, Adel, who lived next door to him for years. After the murder, Adel bragged about killing a Jew and said he would go to heaven.

On Aug. 8, 2006, a court decided that the murderer was mentally unstable and therefore could not be held responsible for killing Selam. Moreover, Selam's mother, Juliette, and her lawyer were not informed of the ruling and therefore couldn't appeal the decision. After months of solitary struggle, Juliette Selam finally obtained from the court a reopening of the case, and she now hopes for a new trial.

In the meantime, her son's murderer wrote to her and demanded that she drop the charges.

Selam says that she's not afraid, declaring: "The worst has already happened."

Dichter on terror: “France shouldn’t pay the price Israel paid”

2007-10-10T19:38:00.000+02:00

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie received her Israeli counterpart Avi Dichter at Place Beauvau on Tuesday, and announced an increased collaboration in the war on terror between French and Israeli police and Intelligence.

“We have measured the need to follow-up our two countries’ strong cooperation in counter-terrorism and public security,” said Alliot-Marie. “Both countries are facing the same threats and we need to exchange information, technology, share our skills and develop research.”

“Michele Alliot-Marie announced on Tuesday that France was about to invest 1Billion euros in research. That’s a brave statement,” said Dichter, who added that a new group of high level police officials would meet and launch additional efforts to increase cooperation between the two countries.

“We can still strengthen our collaboration capacity. This is a necessity for our citizens’ security,” declared Alliot Marie.

“[MAM] is a brave minister. She established a strong collaboration between Israel and France when she was defence minister, investing massively in UAVs. Today she is endorsing strengthened collaboration in security,” said Dichter. “I’m looking forward to our common work in fighting terror and crime, giving advice in maintaining public order.”

“France shouldn’t pay the price we paid and we offer all of our experience in battling terror, free of charge. We offer the same to other security services.”
“Today we have discussed the new working group composed of our best police officials and the excellent professional appointed by the French government. They will examine the situation and ways to push forward our collaboration in the upcoming month and we will then sign a new agreement, either when [Michèle Alliot Marie] will be in Israel or when we’ll be back here in Paris, for a strengthened cooperation. We will launch our new common path with many challenges – the ones I’ve just mentioned and others.”

According to the Interior ministry, Michele Alliot-Marie received a dozen ministers this week to discuss cooperation in the war on terror as France was organising the international exhibition of internal state security - Milipol - at the Bourget, near Paris. 44 countries were present with 950 stands. Israel was the 6th country, represented by 42 companies that were, according to the Figaro, “a length ahead” of the others.

France’s main counter terror bureaux, the RG and DST, are in a fusion process that will be completed in 2008. Their leaders, Bernard Squarcini and Joël Bouchité, evaluated on Monday that the terror alert in France was high.

L’homme qui m’a privée de nationalité

2007-10-10T02:00:00.003+02:00

J’apprends par Libé le décès du journaliste Serge de Beketch. Homme d’extrême droite, directeur du Libre journal de la France Courtoise, pour moi il fut surtout l’homme qui m’a privée de ma nationalité française... sur le papier bien entendu.

Pour la première fois de ma vie, on m’appela « la journaliste israélienne », alors que nous étions en France et que j’ai toujours porté la nationalité française.

Reproduisant des extraits d’une interview que j’avais faite de Marine Le Pen, qui voulait à l’époque se joindre à une visite de parlementaires en Israël, Beketch tentait de déformer mes propos et trouvait étrange que je m’intéresse à ce qui se passe en France.
Comme de bien nombreuses personnes, j’ai ressenti un petit frisson étrange venu d’un coup des méandres du rejet et du mépris.

Selon Libé, Beketch savait surtout manier l’invective à l’égard de ceux qu’il considérait être ses ennemis. J’ai été épargnée.

Comme disait Richard II, "What more remains?"

Bush tente de bloquer la reconnaissance du génocide arménien

2007-10-09T01:24:00.001+02:00

Trois questions à Yves Ternon, historien et auteur de plusieurs livres sur les génocides dont 'Guerres et génocides au XXème siècle' Editions Odile Jacob, 2007.

Q:La position de Bush, refusant la reconnaissance du génocide arménien par le Congrès est-elle nouvelle ? Est-elle répandue parmi les dirigeants ?

Yves Ternon: Elle n’est pas nouvelle. C’est un débat qui s’enlise aux Etats-Unis depuis des années et George Bush est manipulé par des lobbies, notamment au sein du parti républicain, qui tentent d’empêcher le vote de la loi pour conforter les relations entre les USA et la Turquie. George Bush est ignorant en matière d’histoire des génocides. Sa position est excessive et le Président américain est parmi les rares leaders à la défendre. Les historiens ne se posent plus la question de l’existence du génocide arménien, puisque c’est une évidence. Le génocide arménien, comme la Shoah et le génocide tutsi répondent à des critères très clairs.

Q:Quels sont ses critères ?

Yves Ternon: Un génocide est pratiqué par un Etat qui a sciemment planifié et préparé la destruction d’un groupe de personnes. Dans le cas du génocide arménien la question ne se pose pas. Les historiens ainsi que des parlements, des Etats et organisations internationales ont reconnu le génocide. Mais certains lobbies essayent de ménager l’Etat turc. Georges Bush ne connaît rien à rien.

Q:Plusieurs parlements, notamment en France, ont adopté des lois reconnaissant le génocide.

Yves Ternon: Que représente le débat qui se poursuit aux Etats-Unis ? Le débat aux Etats-Unis est l’une des clés qui permettraient de dénouer ce problème. Plusieurs pays ont promulgué des lois, faisant ainsi avancer le travail de mémoire, mais le débat aux Etats-Unis a une importance particulière. Si le Congrès américain adoptait la loi, l’Etat turc serait acculé, le dos au mur et il serait forcé d’entamer un travail de mémoire. La législation est la seule manière de vaincre les négationnistes au niveau politique.

Propos recueillis par Shirli Sitbon

Letter from France

2007-09-13T01:48:00.000+02:00

Battle against anti-Semitism enters new phase

By Shirli Sitbon

French Jews were relieved to learn of the arrest and conviction of Nizar Ouedrani, a man who assaulted a young Jew wearing a kippah in Paris last July, as the victim was walking toward a synagogue.

The incident is one among dozens, but for the first time, Jewish leaders noted, the court opted for a severe sentence.

On Saturday, July 21, two men and a boy were going to their synagogue on Petit Street when a man driving a truck honked at them and started shouting anti-Semitic slurs. When 24-year-old Yossef Zekri tried to calm the driver down, the latter jumped out of the car and started hitting him while shouting, "Dirty Jew, I'll finish you." Ouedrani hit Zekri on the head with a vacuum cleaner and ran away. He was caught the next day after police traced his license plate number.

In court, Ouedrani testified he didn't realize his victim was a Jew, but failed to convince the judge, who sentenced him to nine months in prison (of which six months are suspended).

"We believe that this ruling, the first to be as severe as we expected, is exemplary and will dissuade thugs from attacking our community," Sammy Ghozlan, the head of the Vigilance Bureau Against Anti-Semitism, said.

With the Ouedrani case, the battle against "new" anti-Semitism has entered a new phase.

Until 2002, the left-wing government led by Lionel Jospin refused to even recognize the spectacular increase of anti-Jewish attacks triggered by the second intifada.

Local Jewish organizations, strengthened by American Jewry, demanded President Jacques Chirac present a firm battle against anti-Semitic attacks.

The French president and his new center-right Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy -- now France's president -- launched a plan to fight anti-Semitism, including reinforced surveillance of synagogues and unprecedented efforts on behalf of police to hunt down the attackers. The next phase was to get offenders to court. The French Assembly approved the Lellouche legislation, doubling the sentences for anti-Semitic and racist assaults.

Jewish community leaders fought forcefully for serious sentences following dozens of symbolic rulings that failed to dissuade new aggressors.

The Ouedrani ruling, the first severe court decision after an anti-Semitic attack, opens the door to a new phase of the battle against anti-Semitism. Authorities appear to have taken every possible measure and precaution, yet anti-Jewish attacks continue as if nothing had been done.

"There are no new ideas on how to fight anti-Semitism, no new plan in the horizon," said policeman Michel Thooris, who follows anti-Semitism issues. "French Jews voted massively for Sarkozy hoping that he would put an end to hatred, but he has no new answers. It sometimes seems as though hearing about anti-Semitism is starting to annoy our leaders..." and the French in general, Thooris said.

Simone Veil -- former minister, European Parliament speaker and current president of the Shoah Remembrance Foundation -- told me, as we were visiting the Shoah memorial with President Sarkozy, that certain forms of anti-Semitism denounced by schoolteachers could easily be countered.

Since the beginning of the second intifada, French professors in troubled schools have complained that their Muslim pupils have been refusing to learn about the Shoah, claiming it was Zionist propaganda. The pupils have prevented professors from teaching the Shoah and the trend has extended to other lessons that involve Jews. Anti-Semitic assaults against Jewish pupils and teachers have also increased.

"I actually noticed that Arab pupils failed to appear in class for courses on the Shoah long before the second intifada, but at the time I didn't understand what motivated them," said Irene Saya, the head of the teachers association PEREC (For a Republican and Civil School).

In 2002, a dozen professors gathered their testimonies in a book called, "The Lost Territories of the Republic." Irene Saya said that nothing has changed in five years.

"Jewish professors and pupils are subject to anti-Semitic remarks and it feels like there isn't much to do. Anti-Semitism isn't just going to disappear," Saya said. "The ministry created a special department for these issues but there are no official figures and no real measures to battle anti-Semitism in school."

"The way I see it, the pupils who refuse to study are not at fault," Veil said. "The teachers are the ones who should find solutions to this problem and find ways to teach what happened in WWII. But I think some of these professors don't really want to make that effort."

Every year, the Shoah Memorial sends up to 10,000 adolescents from throughout France to Auschwitz. Troublemakers aren't invited. It also launched several projects commemorating the genocides perpetrated in Rwanda and against the Armenians.

"Today, we have to talk about Rwanda if we want schools to keep on teaching about the Shoah," sarcastically observed the leader of one European Jewish organization.

Obviously, most of those who combat genocide and fight racism do so genuinely, and their efforts often lead to positive results.

"We have to be irreproachable at a time when revisionists are still trying to distort history," Veil said.

Anti-Zionism and the boycott of Israeli products and skills are viewed by French Jews as another form of anti-Semitism. But, unlike other countries, France has successfully countered the phenomenon, launching the France-Israel Foundation in July 2005 to reinforce ties with the Israeli government and encourage collaboration in various fields, from literary exhibits to stem cell research.

The foundation has prevented boycotts that would have isolated Israel in the intellectual and commercial fields. It instigated French investments in the Israeli film industry, for example, leading to the success of the Israeli Film Festival of Paris and to numerous productions and prizes, the latest ones being the awards granted at the Cannes film festival to two Israeli films, "Jellyfish" and "The Band's Visit." Israeli movies, once rare in French theaters, have become common and, at times, even popular.

Those who supported the boycott against Israel, mainly within the pro-Palestinian association CAPJPO (Coordination of the Calls for a Fair Peace in the Middle East), are about to observe a new high in French-Israeli relations since the annual book fair -- the major cultural event of the year -- selected Israel to star the 2008 exhibit.

Sarkozy is apparently looking for global answers, fighting boycotts with reinforced collaboration and battling racist extremists by offering new alternatives. In theory, every issue can fall into place.

Since recent anti-Semitic attacks are perpetrated mainly by young Muslims, Sarkozy's plan to annihilate anti-Semitism consists of putting all his energy into solving the conflicts in the Middle East in order to avoid new tensions between communities.

When inviting Hezbollah representatives to Paris in July, only a few months after he compared them to Nazis, Sarkozy hoped to get things moving, but assured the public he would not invite Hamas.

Sarkozy, a great admirer of George Bush, has multiple initiatives in the Middle East.

The man, who a few months ago was criticized for his Jewish descent by extremist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, has already managed to reduce the National Front Party to nothing, attracting most of its voters and leaving it penniless after two major electoral defeats.

Maybe the French president's plan to annihilate anti-Semitism isn't all that impossible. The Jewish community voted massively for that plan. Now, it is holding its breath.

Secular Crusade

2007-09-07T01:40:00.000+02:00

France refuses ID cards unless Jews 'prove' faith

07/09/2007

by Shirli Sitbon Paris

An Algerian-born Jewish woman has become a symbol of the French battle to secularise public affairs after refusing to provide authorities with proof of her religion in order to have her national ID renewed.

In June, a clerk in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris, asked Brigitte Abitbol, 57, to provide several documents, including a certificate to prove she was Jewish.

Ms Abitbol’s previous French ID document and her birth certificate were deemed insufficient, and the clerk said that since Jews in Algeria were granted French nationality in 1870 with the Cremieux decree, proving she was Jewish would be helpful.

After Ms Abitbol refused to provide it, court workers told her she would not get her documents.

"We’re in 2007, in a secular state and I am never going to provide a religion certificate,” said Ms Abitbol.

Ms Abitbol’s case has encouraged others to go public. On August 21, dozens of French citizens of Jewish or foreign descent testified in the Libération newspaper of similar treatment.

“My mother was born in 1919 in Poland and became a French citizen in 1921, after her family fled the pogroms,” wrote one reader. “When renewing her ID in 2001, she was asked to provide a nationality certificate. After she explained that she couldn’t get one because her family’s documents were destroyed when her village burnt down, my mother was told she would be ‘deported back to her country’. My mother showed the state worker her French ID from 1943, with the word ‘Jew’ labelled on it and she called me, crying.”

Others brought war medals and photos of family in French military uniforms to court. Even a deputy-mayor of Paris, Nathalie Kaufman, had to provide special documents.

“The case is upsetting, but we cannot consider it as antisemitism,” Sammy Ghozlan, the head of the Vigilance Bureau Against Anti-Semitism, told the JC. “This is a new trend of zeal within French bureaucracy towards all of those who renew their ID documents.”

The mediator of the republic office, handling the Abitbol case and several others, told the JC that it was perfectly legal to require religion certificates.

“We need to be certain of the person’s French identity and a certificate of religion is one way to get that confirmation regarding Jews who immigrated from North African countries,” a spokesman told the JC.

But describing this as “unthinkable”, Irit Spiro, a programme director at French Jewish Radio, told the JC: “We were shocked when Mrs Abitbol informed us of her case, and our station will broadcast a special programme in September with dozens of testimonies to denounce this measure.”

Quand c'est fini, ça recommence...

2007-09-03T10:44:00.000+02:00

La Chronique de Jean-Michel Rosenfeld
mercredi 7h05 sur Radio J

« Quand c’est fini ahi nini ça recommence » c’est ce que chantait Léo Ferré.
C’est ce que l’on peut dire du grand rabbin sépharade d’Israël qui voici quelques années avait transformé les 6 millions de victimes de la Shoah en coupables, prétextant que l’assimilation fut la raison de leur extermination, faisant des bourreaux nazis le bras qui frappait, qui punissait.
Samedi dernier, ce même triste personnage déclara, je cite : "qu’au cours des guerres du Liban, les soldats d’Israël qui sont tombés le furent car ils ne mettaient pas de téfilimes tous les jours, ils ne respectaient pas le shabbat et ne priaient pas suffisamment."
De tels propos sont synonymes d’un esprit sectaire et dénués de toute humanité.
Que peuvent penser les familles de ces soldats d’apprendre que leur fils peut être victime par la faute du non respect d’une pratique religieuse, qui est en fait le choix de chacun et non une loi.
De tels propos sont dignes de l’inquisition du moyen âge.
Il n’y a pas que les chevaux qui portent des œillères.
De telles phrases irresponsables et assassines sortent de la bouche d’un soi-disant sage, je dirais même d’un faux sage.
Pour seules réponses aux critiques, pas assez nombreuses selon moi, le fils de ce pseudo rabbin répond qu’il prie tous les jours pour les soldats de Tsahal.
Selon Yossi Beilin, le leader du Meretz, il ferait mieux d’inciter ses groupies à s’enrôler dans l’armée.
Il est vrai, je m’en souviens, qu’au cours d’une journée marquant l’anniversaire de la réunification de Jérusalem, le grand rabbin de France avait dit que alors que dans les rues de la ville les soldats se battaient et tombaient des hommes dans les yeshivot EUX priaient. Comme si on pouvait mettre sur le même plan ceux qui bien à l’abri marmonnaient des phrases et ceux qui exposaient leur vie pour que ce réalise ce que les juifs du monde entier disent à chaque Pessah : « l’an prochain à Jérusalem ».
Ovadia Yossef devrait de temps en temps se remémorer le message d’humanisme du judaïsme universel.

Righteous Diplomacy

2007-08-10T11:01:00.000+02:00

Was this King of Morocco righteous?
10/08/2007by
Shirli Sitbon Paris

A row has broken out over attempts to make the wartime king of Morocco a Righteous Gentile, taking in Moroccan Jewry, Yad Vashem and even Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Moroccan Jews believe Mohammad V was responsible for saving Jewish lives during the second world war, and Mr Peres decided to endorse an initiative led by Moroccan community leader Serge Berdugo after they met at the Israeli President’s inauguration ceremony.

However, the Yad Vashem museum is less convinced. “Mohammad V is not on our agenda,” a spokesman told the JC.

“The king doesn’t fill the necessary conditions to be designated,” added Richard Prasquier, the Yad Vashem representative in France and head of Jewish umbrella group CRIF. “Mohammad V didn’t actually save Jews since there was no official demand to deport them to death camps and he didn’t risk his life. These are two of the basic conditions necessary for the title.”

“Mohammad V did save lives!” declared Mr Berdugo, also a roaming ambassador for King Mohammad VI, grandson of Mohammad V. “Historical documents prove Mohammad V refused to treat Moroccan Jews any different from the Muslims. He received Jewish officials during the war and told them he had sympathy for them.”

Moroccan Jews say that when French officials gave Moroccan authorities yellow stars for Jews to wear, King Mohammad asked for a dozen more, and explained that he and his family would wear them too.

“Mohammad V was very respectful and fond of the Jewish community, but some situations have built-up into legends, turning the king into a saviour,” historian Jean-Pierre Allali told the JC. “An equivalent situation existed in Denmark, where, according to the legend, the king rode on a horse wearing the Star of David.”

Mr Berdugo does not agree that his request is based on a legend. “Historians are working very seriously on this issue and there is no doubt King Mohammad saved lives,” he said.

Some have implied that Mr Berdugo has ulterior motives, and that he might become Morocco’s first ambassador to Israel if relations improved further. “There are those who believe Mohammad V was righteous and others who plead for him for political reasons,” a Jewish community official told the JC.

Mr Berdugo flatly denied this. “This process will probably take a long time, but at the end I’m sure Mohammad V, the king that saved so many Jews, will get the tribute that he deserves.”

French Hizbollah policy under fire

2007-07-27T15:58:00.000+02:00

27/07/2007
By Shirli Sitbon Paris

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is expected in Beirut tomorrow for two days of talks to follow up his Paris meeting with Hizbollah and other Lebanese factions two weeks ago.

Mr Kouchner said France’s goal was to help defrost relations between Lebanese parties so that they would reach a common position and avoid new violence.

“In Lebanon, dialogue usually comes after the war. We have to prevent this scenario from repeating itself,” Mr Kouchner said. “Everything must be done to avoid war. Inviting all Lebanese parties to France was reasonable.”

However, Mr Kouchner has faced fierce criticism for his policy of engagement.

The Liberation newspaper evaluated that by inviting Hizbollah, France had risked giving the group the beginning of international legitimacy with no concessions in return.
“Hizbollah performed a good operation,” wrote Liberation, accusing Mr Kouchner of overstating the results of the meeting.

Richard Prasquier, the President of Jewish umbrella group CRIF, told the JC that French Jews were “saddened” by the meeting with Hizbollah but that they would not continue lobbying against new talks.

“All we can do at this point is hope that the discussions will lead to some results regarding the Israeli hostages,” Mr Prasquier continued. “We have seen no progress up until now, but President Sarkozy clearly promised to the hostages’ families he would make every effort to push this issue forward.”

AFP

American ambassador to France Craig Stapleton told the JC that the US backed the French approach.
“We support any step that reinforces democracy in Lebanon,” declared Mr Stapleton. “We support any step that keeps Syria out of Lebanon.”

“France has always been active in our region so its new initiative in Lebanon seems perfectly normal,” added Israeli embassy spokeswoman Nina Ben-Ami. “However, it isn’t useful to give Hizbollah legitimacy.”

According to geopolitical analyst Raphael Drai, France had no choice but to invite Hizbollah to discussions.

“This is a complex game. The goal is to prevent civil war in Lebanon and to isolate Iran,” Drai told the JC. “Leaving Hizbollah out of the game would only make it more dangerous."
“While encouraging inter-Lebanese dialogue, Paris is also trying to pull Syria away from Iran by launching new contacts with Damascus,” added Mr Drai. “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is obviously aware of that, is trying to prevent the manoeuvre by reinforcing ties with Syria.”

As Mr Kouchner prepares for new talks with Lebanese parties, observers wonder whether France will launch contacts with Hamas next.

“Don’t mix unrelated issues,” warned Mr Kouchner in his press conference after the Paris meeting, denying any plans to invite Hamas officials. “Our only current partner in Palestine is [President] Mahmoud Abbas.”

Livni : « Developments in PA bring new threats but also new opportunities »

2007-07-06T09:31:00.000+02:00

Livni ﬁnds allies in France

06/07/2007

By Shirli Sitbon, Paris

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was in Paris on Wednesday for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and her Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Benaissa. Her aim was to reinforce support for moderates in the Middle East by marginalising Hamas.

Ms Livni and Mr Benaissa shared a long handshake in front of the cameras, Ms Livni declaring that their nations shared the same concerns and faced similar threats. Mr Sarkozy vowed that France would play a major role in the region.

In a press conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the Israeli spoke of “new opportunities” to be seized.

“Israel has no secret agenda. We just want to move forward with the new Palestinian government.”

© 2007 Erez Lichtfeld

Mr Kouchner said it was up to Israel to launch fresh efforts to revive discussions. He pleaded for a fresh release of prisoners.

He excluded any form of dialogue with Hamas for the moment.

“We always say that we have to discuss with our enemies in order to reach peace, but we must choose the right time to do so.”

Agreeing, Ms Livni said that discussions with Hamas at the present time “would annihilate the moderate Palestinian forces. Israelis, moderate Palestinians, the international community and all moderate Arab countries should work together because our goals are the same and we have a common vision of the future.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah was also in Paris on Wednesday for talks with Mr Sarkozy, who has issued supportive statements to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Although there have been divisions within the French Foreign Ministry over whether to open discussions with Hamas, any move has been put on hold since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

Hizbollah and anti-Hizbollah UAVs land in Paris

2007-06-30T11:10:00.000+02:00

Protests over French invite to Hizbollah

22/06/2007

From Shirli Sitbon, Paris
Protests have greeted the French Foreign Ministry’s decision to invite representatives of the Lebanese guerrilla movement Hizbollah to a forthcoming summit in Paris.

“Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner decided when he was visiting Lebanon in May to invite officials from all Lebanese groups to help them renew their internal dialogue,” said a foreign-ministry spokesman.

The French insist that the meetings will be entirely informal, and may begin as soon as next Tuesday, when Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is scheduled to visit the French capital.

“The participants will be designated by the 14 heads of the Lebanese parliamentary groups,” added the spokesman.

The Jewish community has vigorously protested against the invitation to Hizbollah, an organisation that Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy had argued before his election was a terrorist group.

“We understand that France wishes to stabilise the political situation in the region,” wrote Richard Prasquier, president of the CRIF, French Jewry’s umbrella body.

“However, we remind you that Hizbollah is a terror group responsible for numerous attacks in Lebanon and in Buenos Aires against the AMIA Jewish community centre.”

Mr Prasquier also told the foreign ministry chief of cabinet Philippe Etienne that Hizbollah was responsible for launching last summer’s war in Lebanon by capturing Israeli soldiers.

Mr Etienne replied that while he understood CRIF’s concerns, France did not intend to legitimise the group through the meeting but merely to launch a constructive dialogue.

http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19&SecId=19&AId=53431&ATypeId=1

IDF UAVs take-off

(unpublished)

Hezbollah officials will arrive in Paris just as Israeli UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) take-off from French territory.

As the French diplomats are still preparing the meeting on “strengthening the Lebanese state”, French aircraft industrials have invited their Israeli counterparts to exhibit their latest UAVs and IDF equipment to observe Hezbollah in the Bourget air show, the widest exhibit in the world.

The unveiling of the latest Israeli UAV, Israeli Aircraft Industry’s Heron TP, was a key-moment of the air show.

“The new Heron TP incorporates front end technologies to meet the Israeli Defence Forces needs,” said Itzhak Nissan, IAI’s president & CEO.

“A Max take off weight of 4,650 Kg, a 36 hour flight capacity,” IDF radio correspondent Or Heller read the IAI press release and concluded: “Do the math yourself: It can fly to Iran and back.”

“The Israeli aircraft industry is a leader of the market because the IDF used these UAVs and equipment on the field, it’s battle proven, in Lebanon last summer and in the Palestinian territories. Other countries, like France, only practice on their UAVs on exercises,” Doron Suslik, from the IAI communication department, told the JC.“There is a direct collaboration between the IAI and The IDF. Many of our engineers are IDF officers. This means they know better than anyone how to improve the equipment. That’s why we’re so quick.”

Forth world weapon exporter with sales mounting up to 5 Billion dollars, Israel has pledged to increase furthermore its collaboration with Europe, its third major area of sales after Asia and the US.Israeli Aircraft Industries’ Doron Suslik told the JC new collaboration programs will be launched at the Paris air show and that IAI is examining the purchase of a European company to strengthen its position in Europe.

“Our goal is to lead technologically,” added Suslik.

While some speak of political pressures against European companies that collaborate with Israeli ones and Israeli companies forced to disguise themselves, figures seem to comfort the IAI.

“Believe me, we know what political pressures are, but you can evaluate their final effect by examining the market. The facts are there: dozens of prestigious clients from up to 90 countries are proud to work with us.”

Dan Arkin the media contact at the Israeli pavilion observed that European and American industrials were not the only ones to show interest in the Israeli exhibit.

“We’ve obviously had visitors from countries that have no diplomatic relations with Israel.”“In the aircraft industry as everywhere, the market is global.”

Sarkozy's New Foreign Policy

2007-06-30T11:01:00.000+02:00

published on 15/06/2007

From Shirli Sitbon, Paris

Politicians are predicting “a new era” in French policy towards the Middle East as newly elected president Nicolas Sarkozy consolidates a US- and Israel-friendly cabinet.

“A new era has begun in French diplomacy with the election of Nicolas Sarkozy,” MP Claude Goasguen (UMP) predicted ahead of this week’s parliamentary elections, likely to deliver Mr Sarkozy a powerful mandate. “Sarkozy will move lines in the Middle East.”

The MP pointed out that although French foreign policy was traditionally controlled by the Quai d’Orsay (Foreign Office), Mr Sarkozy had created a new body, the National Security Council (CNS), headed by former French diplomat Jean-David Levitte. Previously the ambassador to the UN and to the US, Mr Levitte is credited with improving relations between France and the US after the Iraq war.

“The CNS will take over foreign affairs from the uncontrollable and undemocratic Quai d’Orsay,” predicted Mr Goasguen.

The Quai d’Orsay is itself likely to shift focus with the appointment of its new head, former health minister Bernard Kouchner.

A highly popular figure who spent decades in the socialist party, Mr Kouchner, 67, is viewed as one of Mr Sarkozy’s major assets. Born to a Jewish father, he founded the Médecins Sans Frontières charity and was one of the few French leaders to support a UN intervention in Iraq in 2003 in order to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

Nonetheless, analysts debated whether Mr Sarkozy’s new Foreign Minister can change France’s traditional pro-Arab position. “France’s ‘Arab policy’ depends on major national interests that are almost impossible to alter,” said UMP politician Pierre Lellouche.

“I would be extremely surprised if Sarkozy manages to implement his promises, such as including Hizbollah on the EU list of terror groups,” added Pascal Boniface, head of the IRIS political research institute.

“Sarkozy will undoubtedly push the American administration and his Israeli allies towards new negotiations, but his ability to implement his promises supportive of Israel is questionable,” Gilles Bonnaud, deputy director of the Quai d’Orsay Africa and Middle East department, told the JC.

“It’s the coordinated European position that counts, and although Sarkozy presents himself as a friend of Israel, he has nevertheless had many meetings and contacts with Arab leaders since his election.”

Uncertainty also remains over France’s attitude towards Hamas.

“If it remains popular, Sarkozy will have no choice at the end but to speak with Hamas,” the UMP’s Claude Pernes told the JC.However, working towards peace in the Middle East, he said, was important for France’s domestic stability.

“There is a parallel between the conflict in the Middle East and the riots in France. Muslims often identify with the Palestinians and if Sarkozy wants to solve the riot issue he will have to do everything he can to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.

“Pushing for negotiations as quickly as possible will give an important signal to our troubled suburbs.”

http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19&SecId=19&AId=53269&ATypeId=1

איזו מין מדינה מתעלמת כשאחד מאזרחיה שבוי?

2007-06-30T03:07:00.001+02:00

איזו מין מדינה מתעלמת כשאחד מאזרחיה שבוי?
אינגריד בטנקור, מועמדת לנשיאות קולומביה ואזרחית צרפת, נחטפה בידי מורדים ב-2002. אות החיים האחרון התקבל ממנה ב-2003. בני משפחתה כועסים על ממשלת צרפת שלא עשתה די כדי לשכנע את נשיא קולומביה לעסקת שבויים. "נמאס לנו מאמפטיה והבטחות", אמרה בתה מלאני בראיון ל-ynet. " צריך להתחיל כבר להפעיל לחץ אמיתי"
שירלי סיטבון, פריז
פורסם:
25.02.07, 15:24

אינגריד בטנקור, המועמדת לנשיאות קולומביה שנחטפה בידי לוחמי גרילה בדרום מזרח המדינה ב-2001, הפכה לסמלם של חטופים ושבויים ברחבי העולם. ביום שישי ציינו בפריז חמש שנים לחטיפתה, והנושא שב ועלה לכותרות, אבל בני משפחתה לא מוצאים בכך נחמה. יש להם ביקורת חריפה על הממשל הצרפתי, ובעיקר על הנשיא ז'אק שיראק, שלא עשה די בשנות כהונתו על מנת לקדם את שיחרורה של הפוליטיקאית שהחזיקה גם באזרחות צרפתית.

"מאז החטיפה רק פעם אחת הרים שיראק טלפון לנשיא קולומביה אלוורו אוריבה. זה קרה מיד לאחר החטיפה ומאז כלום", סיפרה ל-ynet בתה של בטנקור, מלאני. "כמובן, זה לא נעים לטפל בעניני שבויים ולהפעיל לחץ, אבל איך אפשר לא להתיחס לענין, כשאימא שלי שבויה כבר חמש שנים בתנאים כאלה?".

בטנקור (45) הייתה מועמדת עצמאית לנשיאות קולומביה. ב-23 בפברואר 2002 סיירה יחד עם מי שהיתה מועמדת להיות סגניתה, קלרה רוחס, במחוז מבודד בדרום קולומביה ונחטפה בידי אנשי ארגון FARC.

היא אחת מ-61 חטופים - ביניהם שלושה קבלנים אמריקנים - שב-FARC רוצים להחליפם תמורת שיחרור מפקדיהם הכלואים בקולומביה. עד כה סרב נשיא קולומביה אוריבה לנהל עם המורדים משא ומתן. הקולומביאנים משבחים אותו על עמדותיו הנוקשות, אך במקביל לוחצים אותו להביא לפיתרון המצב.
לאחרונה נדמה כי חלה התגמשות מסויימת בעמדותיו אך שורה של התקפות מצד המורדים סיכלו כל סיכוי למשא ומתן בקרוב. אוריבה, שאביו נהרג בעת ניסיון חטיפה כושל לפני מספר שנים, קרא השבוע לכוחות הביטחון של ארצו להגביר את המרדף אחר המורדים. אמש הודיעו אנשי FARC כי הם מוכנים למשא ומתן על שיחרורה של בטנקור.

אות החיים האחרון שהתקבל מבטנקור היה סרטון וידאו ששיחררו המורדים לפירסום באוגוסט 2003. בסרטון ביקשה בטנקור שיבואו לשחרר אותה. בתגובה שלח דומיניק דה וילפן, שר החוץ הצרפתי בשעתו, מטוס מיוחד לברזיל, אך התוכנית לשיחרורה כשלה. "כל מאמץ אפשרי נעשה למען שחרורה של אינגריד. תדעו שאני לא שוכח", כתב בשעתו שיראק למשפחתה. "נמאס לנו מאמפטיה והבטחות. צריך שמנהיגי המדינה יתחילו להפעיל כבר לחץ אמיתי". אומרת מלאני.

אות חיים אחרון. אינגריד בטנקור בוידאו מ-2003 (צילום: איי.פי)

בעצרת בפריז קראו בני המשפחה - מלאני, אחיה לורנזו ואביהם, בעלה הראשון של בטנקור פרביס דלואה, לקדם עסקת החלפת שבויים במסגרתה ישוחררו 400 אנשי FARC תמורת 57 החטופים, בינהם חיילים, שוטרים ושבויים פוליטים.

"פעולה צבאית לא תביא לשחרור החטופים, אלא תסתיים בים של דם", העריכה מלאני. "מנגד, החלפת שבויים היא צעד ראשון לשלום והיא תיתן תקווה לחיילים, כי הם יראו שהמדינה לא מוותרת עליהם. וחוץ מזה, הלוחמים שישוחררו אינם מהמסוכנים ביותר. רובם נכנסו לכוחות FARC בגיל צעיר רק כדי להימלט מחיי עוני בקולומביה".

גם צרפת תומכת כיום בעסקת החלפת שבויים אבל נשיא קולומביה אוריבה נותר בסירובו. הוא טוען כי כל עסקה רק תעודד את המיליציה בת 17 אלף הלוחמים, שמחזיקה בידיה כ-3,000 שבויים ובני ערובה.

פשע נגד האנושות
"צריך להפעיל לחץ על אוריבה", אמר פבריס דלואה, בעלה הראשון של בטנקור. "פנינו לכל המועמדים לבחירות צרפת - לסרקוזי, רויאל ולמועמד המרכז פרנסואה ביירו, וכולם הבטיחו שאם ייבחרו יעלו את הנושא לראש סדר היום בצרפת. רויאל אף חתמה את ההכרזה שכתבנו בשביל שחרור אינגריד", הוא הוסיף.

מלאני ואביה הסבירו שההכרזה שניסחו היא כוללת, וקוראת להקמת מרכז סיוע ומידע כלל עולמי עבור כל משפחות החטופים ברחבי העולם. "לאף אחד לא אכפת היום מחטופים שאינם עיתונאים. צריכים אסטרטגיה עולמית נגד חטיפות, שהינן פשע נגד האנושות, וצריך להראות לחוטפים שהם ישלמו על מעשיהם. שלא יוכלו להיסתובב עוד בעולם כחפים מפשע", אמרה מלאני.

משפחתה של בטנקור מקווה לשיתוף פעולה גם מצד ארצות הברית, בעלת הברית העיקרית של אוריבה. עד כה הבהירה מזכירת המדינה האמריקנית כי היא אינה תומכת ב"דו-שיח עם טרוריסטים", אך המפלגה הדמוקרטית הראתה נכונות לשנות עמדה זו ולהסכים לתמוך בהחלפת שבויים הומניטרית.

לדעת פבריס דלואה, צרפת היתה צריכה להשתמש בהישג האסטרטגי שלה עם המצב הקשה בעיראק, כדי לקדם מדיניות משותפת עם ארצות הברית. "לצרפת יש מה להציע, אבל איזו מן מדינה לא מרימה אצבע כאשר אחד מאזרחיה שבוי? צרפת צריכה לפעול, לא רק בשביל אינגריד, אלא גם בשביל הכבוד שלה".

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3369411,00.html

0

הפרשנים מבולבלים: האם שיראק רוצה עוד כהונה?

2007-06-30T02:15:00.001+02:00

הפרשנים מבולבלים: האם שיראק רוצה עוד כהונה?

כולם ציפו שאיחולי השנה החדשה של נשיא צרפת יהיו קצרים - כיאה לפעם האחרונה - אבל הוא הציג תוכנית פוליטית לחמש השנים הבאות, לא שלל כהונה שלישית והשאיר את כולם מבולבלים. האם הוא רציני או סתם רוצה להציק ליריבו סרקוזי, שממילא סובל בסקרים
שירלי סיטבון, פריז
פורסם:
06.01.07, 10:07

נשיא צרפת, ז'אק שיראק, הותיר את הפרשנים בארצו מבולבלים. פחות מארבעה חודשים מסוף כהונתו הוא הקפיד לא לרמוז

דבר על עתידו הפוליטי בנאומים וראיונות לרגל סוף השנה והשנה החדשה, ואף הציג תוכנית פוליטית חדשה לחמש השנים הקרובות. שיראק, בן 75, לא שלל עד כה התמודדות על כהונה נוספת והעיתונים בצרפת שואלים האם הוא שוקל ברצינות להתמודד או שמא רק רוצה להציק ליריבו, שר הפנים ניקולא סרקוזי.
"שיראק תמיד יפתיע אותנו", כתב העיתון לה-טריבון, אחרי ששיראק הציע את התוכנית הפוליטית שלו לחמש השנים הקרובות. העיתונים ציפו לאיחולים קצרים לשנה החדשה, האיחולים האחרונים של שיראק כנשיא, אך הם קיבלו במקומם סידרה של נאומים, הבטחות וביקורת נגד המועמדים הפופולרים לבחירות - סגולן רויאל וסרקוזי.
"האם זאת צוואה או תוכנית בחירות חדשה?" שאל העיתון לה-פריזיאן, "הנאום של שיראק רק מגביר את הספק באשר לכוונותיו". "שיראק נכנס למערכה", העריך לה-פיגארו.
"שיראק הציע תוכנית פוליטית 'אנטי סרקוזי'", כתב בכותרת העיתון ליברסיון, שרואה במעשיו של שיראק כוונה לפגוע בסרקוזי, "הבן המועד שלו, האיש שבגד בו בבחירות 1995, ושמשפיל אותו היום בניסיונו לרשת את הנשיאות ממנו".
תומכיו של שיראק מבטיחים הפתעות. יושב ראש הפרלמנט הצרפתי, ז'אן לואי דברה, הציע ביום שישי מנדט שלישי לשיראק ושלל כל תמיכה בסרקוזי. ראש הממשלה, דומיניק דה וילפן, מאמין שיהיו עוד הפתעות במערכה "העניינים הרציניים עוד לא התחילו", אמר לעיתון לה-פיגרו.

סגולן עקפה את סרקוזי בסקרים
השבוע נערכו בצרפת הבחירות המוקדמות של מפלגת השלטון - UMP, לבחירת המועמד לנשיאות. לאחר פרישתה מהרשימה של שרת ההגנה מישל אליו-מארי, היה סרקוזי, שעומד בראש המפלגה, המועמד היחיד למעשה שביקש את תמיכתה. אבל גם אם סרקוזי ייבחר למועמד ה-UMP לנשיאות, שיראק יוכל אם ירצה להתמודד מולו שלא במסגרת המפלגה. "לא בורחים בקלות משיראק", העריך העיתון ליברסיון.

מול שיראק לסרקו, כפי שהוא מכונה כאן, אין בעיה גדולה. על פי סקר TNS הוא יוכל לגבור בנקל על הנשיא המכהן. רק 23 אחוז מהבוחרים מאמינים בשיראק, לעומת 75 אחוז שאינם מאמינים בו.אלא שסרקו לא יכול למצוא נחמה בסקרים. 46 אחוז מאמינים בו אבל 85 אחוז מאמינים ברויאל על פי הסקר של TNS.הסקרים האחרים כלל אינם מתייחסים לשיראק, אלא רק לסרקוזי וסגולן, ובשניהם היא עקפה אותו. 52 מול 48 לפי סקר CFA ו-51 מול 49 לפי סקר BVA. על פי סקרים אחרים, לשניהם יש אחוזי תמיכה שווים.
האם מדובר במירוץ זוגי סרקו מול סגו? לדעת לה-פיגרו, שיראק לא אמר את מילתו האחרונה. "השאלה היא האם הצרפתים

רוצים לשמוע אותה?".

www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3348850,00.html

לה פן: פאפון לא עשה שום דבר רע

2007-06-30T02:11:00.001+02:00

לה פן: פאפון לא עשה שום דבר רע

מנהיג הימין הקיצוני המתמודד על נשיאות צרפת יצא להגנת מוריס פאפון, משתף הפעולה עם הנאצים שמת השבוע. לדעתו, אין בצרפת גזענות או אנטישמיות והיא אינה אחראית לעברה בתקופת המלחמה. הוא טוען שלדבריו, הוא על סף השגת מכסת החתימות הדרושות כדי להגיש רשמית את מועמדותו לנשיאות. בתו ל-ynet: הוא יגיע לסיבוב השני לפחות
שירלי סיטבון, פריז
עדכון אחרון:
20.02.07, 00:31

איש הימין הקיצוני ז'אן מארי לה פן הודיע אתמול (ב') כי הוא קרוב מאוד להשיג את המכסה הנדרשת של 500 חתימות מראשי ערים, סנטורים, מושלים וחברי פרלמנט על מנת להגיש רשמית את מועמדותו לנשיאות צרפת. במסיבת עיתונאים אמר מנהיג ה"פרונט נסיונל" (החזית הלאומית) כי הוא אסף עד כה 460 מתוך המכסה הדרושה.

בשונה מהמתמודדים האחרים, שזוכים לתמיכה רחבה בציבור, קמפיין איסוף החתימות עצמו הפך לחלק מהתעמולה של "הפרונט נסיונל", ולה פן מנצל את ההזדמנות כדי להציג את עצמו כקורבן. “השמאל והימין לוחצים על ראשי הערים כדי שהם לא יתנו לנו את החתימות”, אמר לה פן. “זו מערכת זדונית. ראשי ערים פשוט פוחדים מאירגוני השמאל ובמיוחד מהאירגונים הנאבקים בגזענות".

בשונה משנים קודמות, בבחירות הפעם צריכים המתמודדים לנשיאות לא רק להציג 500 חתימות של תומכים אלא גם להציג את שמותיהם של החותמים באופן פומבי. לה פן טוען כי מדובר במגבלה שנועדה לסבך את מסע הבחירות שלו אך הוא מתעקש שהדבר לא פוגע בו - אלא להיפך. "איסוף החתימות מעסיק אותי, אך לא מדאיג אותי", אמר.

“השיטות האלה מוכיחות שצרפת, כמו צפון קוריאה, היא אחת המדינות הסובייטיות האחרונות בעולם”, אמרה מרין לה פן, בתו של המנהיג, שמשמשת מנהלת מסע הבחירות של אביה. היא העריכה שאביה לא רק יצליח לאסוף את כל החתימות הדרושות, אלא גם יצליח להגיע לסיבוב השני בבחירות לפחות. “מה שקרה בבחירות ב-2002, אז השמאל והימין התאחדו נגדנו - זה לא יקרה שוב”, אמרה לה פן ל-ynet.

לראשונה - הקהל הריע לימין הקיצוני
הסקרים מלמדים כי הימין הקיצוני בצרפת אינו מרתיע כיום את הצרפתים כבעבר. לה פן ובתו מוזמנים לכל התוכניות הפוליטיות בטלוויזיה, ולפני שבוע לראשונה מחא קהל הצופים באולפן כפיים למנהיג ה"פרונט נסיונל" בשידור חי בזמן צפיית שיא בערוץ הראשון של הטלוויזיה.

מרין לה פן, מנסה ואף מצליחה לשנות את הדימוי של המפלגה. על פני השטח נראת ה"פרונט נסיונל" צעיר ופתוחה יותר. לפני מספר חודשים השיקה המפלגה מסע פירסום שכלל כרזה עליה הופיעה אישה שחורה, ומרין מנסה כל העת להיפגש עם מנהיגי הקהיליה היהודית כדי לפוגג את חששם.

ועם זאת, היא הבהירה כי עמדות המפלגה נותרו כשהיו. “נכון שאנחנו מתקרבים לכולם אבל עמדותינו לא ישתנו”, אמרה. ואכן, עמדותיו של לה פן בנושאי גזענות ואנטישמיות, הכחשת שואה, היחס לזרים ועונש המוות לא זזו. לה פן סבור למשל כי אין

בצרפת אנטישמיות או גזענות, וכי יש לבטל את יום הזיכרון לשואה עליו החליט הפרלמנט תחת הנשיא שיראק.

במסיבת העיתונאים היום התייחס לה פן למותו בסוף השבוע של מוריס פאפון, שהורשע בגירוש יהודים כאשר שימש בתפקיד בכיר תחת משטר וישי, ששיתף פעולה עם הנאצים. “פאפון לא עשה שום רע. הוא הפך לשעיר לעזאזל כדי ששיראק יוכל להאשים את צרפת ולהטיל עליה את האחריות על מה שקרה פה במשך המלחמה”, אמר לה פן. "אבל צרפת אינה אחראית. הגרמנים אחראים. פאפון הוא שעיר לעזאזל קטן, והוא מת. מה אני חושב על קבורתו עם מדלית ליגיון הכבוד? אני לא נהוג להכתיב לאף אחד את דרך קבורתו”, הוסיף לה פן.

פרסום ראשון:
19.02.07, 23:22

צרפת: לה פן מחזר אחרי הקול השחור

2007-06-30T02:03:00.001+02:00

צרפת: לה פן מחזר אחרי הקול השחור

מנהיג הימין הקיצוני ז'אן מרי לה פן, שרוצה להיות נשיא צרפת, לא מסתיר עוד את השאיפה שלו לגייס תומכים גם מקרב המהגרים השחורים - אותם שחורים שהוא מרבה לצאת נגדם בקמפיין שלו
שירלי סיטבון, פריז
פורסם:
12.12.06, 12:28

הוא מוכר כאיש ימין קיצוני בוטה, שמתנגד בתוקף לגלי המהגרים האפריקנים שזורמים לצרפת באופן בלתי פוסק, אך ז'אן מרי לה פן רוצה שגם השחורים בצרפת יתמכו בשאיפתו להיבחר לנשיאות.

אמש (ב') נשבר טאבו בצרפת; לראשונה מאז הקמת מפלגתו הקיצונית "החזית הלאומית" (פרונט נסיונל) הופיעה צעירה שחורה על גבי כרזות תעמולת הבחירות של לה פן. הצעירה, עם שיער מתולתל וגולש וג'ינס אופנתי, היא אחת משש הדמויות בהן בחרה המפלגה על מנת לייצג את החברה הצרפתית.

הצעירה השחורה, כמו יתר הדמויות, מביעה אכזבה מהמצב הנוכחי בצרפת, אחרי שנים של שלטון מפלגות השמאל והימין המתונות. "אזרחות, שילוב בחברה, השתפרות מעמד החיים, חילוניות... הימין/שמאל שברו את הכול" - נכתב על הכרזה בה היא מככבת.

פרשנים בצרפת טוענים שהניסיון של לה פן לגייס תומכים שחורים אינו חדש, ורק הביטוי של המגמה הזו בכרזות הוא החידוש.

"מזה שנים שחורים הבאים מהאי מרטיניק למשל, מצביעים בעד לה פן כי הם רואים בו מועמד שיוכל לעזור להם למצוא את מקומם בחברה ואת זהותם הצרפתית. הוא מבטיח להם חיים טובים יותר", אומר ל-ynet אדוארד אנדואה, צרפתי ממוצא אפריקאי שמייצג את איגוד העמותות השחורות. "מה שחדש זה שלה פן מצד אחד, והאינטלקטואלים השחורים מצד שני, אינם מסתירים את הקשר שביניהם יותר".

הסופר רפאל קונפיאן כתב בעיתון "לה מונד" שהביקורת נגד לה פן מוגזמת, ושמנסים לייצג אותו כשטן. קונפיאן תומך בקומיקאי האנטי-ישראלי דיודונה המוגדר כ"לה פן שחור", שהיה אורח בכנס של "הפרונט נסיונל".

"השחורים התומכים בלה פן אינם בהכרח מתרבים, אבל הם כבר לא מתביישים ומסתתרים", אומר אנדואה. "לה פן שינה אף הוא את גישתו, הקשיב לבתו מארין, והחליט לא להסתיר יותר את תומכיו שחורים, גם אם חלק מהמפלגה מבטלת את הגישה הזאת. התמיכה בלה פן אינה עדיין מקובלת, אבל הקהילה השחורה מחולקת היום, וחלק מהמיעוט שהחליט לתמוך בלה פן עשה

זאת בין היתר משום שהוא מסכים עם גישתו האנטישמית", דברי אנדואה.

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3339035,00.html

הימים האחרונים של אילן חלימי

2007-06-29T01:12:00.000+02:00

הימים האחרונים של אילן חלימי

רות חלימי, אימו של הצעיר היהודי שנחטף בפריז, מספרת בראיון בלעדי על שלושה שבועות של אימה שהסתיימו ברצח ופתחו פרק חדש בהיסטוריה של האנטישמיות בצרפת
אורלי וילנאי-פדרבוש, גלעד טוקטלי
עובדה
21:00 15.03.06
http://www.keshet-tv.com/ProgramVideo.aspx?ProgID=1403&CatID=411&MediaID=1981

תחקיר: שני חזיזה, שירלי סיטבון

אימו של הצעיר היהודי מספרת בראיון בלעדי על שלושה שבועות של אימה שהסתיימו ברצח ופתחו פרק חדש בהיסטוריה של האנטישמיות בצרפתמאת: אורלי וילנאי-פדרבושבימוי: גלעד טוקטליתחקיר: שני חזיזה, שירלי סיטבון

לצפייה בקטע מהכתבה

אורלי וילנאי וגלעד טוקטלי יצאו למסע בעקבות החטיפה והרצח של אילן חלימי.

החל מהרגע שבו התפתה ללכת אחרי נערה שחיזרה אחריו, דרך המרתף שבו עבר עינויי תופת ועד האקלים החברתי שהוליד את השנאה והאנטישמיות ששוטפת את צרפת. בדרך הם בוחנים את מרכיבי הפרשה שזעזעה את הרפובליקה הצרפתית: מנהיג של כנופיית פרברים, חוקרי המשטרה שנדרשים לספק הסברים למחדלי החקירה, הקהילה היהודית המבוהלת בעיר שבה סלידה מיהודים הפכה פופולארית, וגם ביקור ראשון אצל משפחת חלימי וראיון בלעדי עם האם רות.

אילן חלימי, צעיר יהודי בן 23, גר בדירת שני חדרים וחצי בשכונה בפאתי פאריס. הוא חלק חדר עם שתי אחיותיו, עבד בחנות לטלפונים סלולריים ותיכנן להינשא לחברתו היהודייה מולי.בליל שבת ה-23 בינואר הוא יצא מהבית אחרי ארוחת הערב. אימו היתה משוכנעת שהלך לפגוש את חברתו, כפי שעשה בכל סוף שבוע. כשחברתו התקשרה לברר היכן הוא הבינו שמשהו השתבש.חקירת המשטרה החלה בחנות שבה עבד אילן.

חבריו לעבודה סיפרו שצעירה שהגיעה לחנות שבועיים קודם לכן פיתתה אותו להיפגש עימה.היא היתה ממוצא איראני ופעלה במסגרת כנופייה שביקשה לסחוט כופר בתמורה לשיחרורו של אילן. כחצי מיליון יורו דרשו החוטפים שסברו כי בידם יהודי עשיר. בהוראת המשטרה עיכבה אימו של אילן את המשא ומתן. בזמן שחלף הוחזק אילן במרתף ועבר עינויים קשים.

שלושה שבועות לאחר שנחטף הוא נמצא גוסס בלב חורשה, סמוך למסילת רכבת, 30 קילומטר דרומית לפאריס.הידיעה הכתה את צרפת בהלם. עד כדי כך שהנשיא שיראק הגיע לאזכרה בבית הכנסת הגדול של פאריס. אפילו הוא הבין שהמפגש בין עוני, מהגרים מוסלמים, אנטישמיות ישנה, וסתם רוע - מייצר לפעמים גיהנום.

פרנסואה ביירו, כאב הראש של סגולן רויאל

2007-06-29T01:00:00.001+02:00

פרנסואה ביירו, כאב הראש של סגולן רויאל
למועמד מפלגת המרכז לנשיאות צרפת יש סיכוי קלוש להעפיל לסיבוב השני, אבל נוכח הצניחה החופשית של סגולן רויאל בסקרים, הוא הפך עבורה למטרד משמעותי. סקרים מלמדים שבסיבוב השני, הצרפתים מעדיפים אותו על פני סגולן ואפילו על פני סרקוזי
שירלי סיטבון (פריז) ורונן בודוני
פורסם:
21.02.07, 00:03

עד עכשיו היה המירוץ לנשיאות צרפת מאבק "ראש בראש" של ניקולא סרקוזי מול סגולן רויאל, אבל בתקופה האחרונה מסתמן שינוי דרמטי בתמונת המצב. מועמד מפלגת המרכז פרנסואה ביירו החל לצבור גובה בסקרים, וגורם בוודאי כאב ראש לא קטן למנהלי מסע הבחירות של רויאל, שמתקשה להעביר את הקמפיין שלה להילוך גבוה.
שורת התקריות המביכות שגרמה והויכוחים הפנימיים במחנה שלה, איפשרו לביירו לצמצם את הפער בסקרים, מ-25 אחוז בדצמבר לשבעה בלבד כעת. עד היום קראו הסוקרים לביירו "האיש השלישי"; הם טענו – ועדיין טוענים – שסיכוייו לצלוח את הסיבוב הראשון אינם גבוהים, אבל כולם מסכימים שהוא יכול לגרום נזק רב מאוד לשני המחנות – של סרקוזי ובעיקר של רויאל, ואם מישהו מהם ימעד בחודשיים שנותרו עד יום הבחירות, הוא עוד עלול להפתיע.
סקר של חברת "איפסוס" מצא כי סרקוזי עדיין מוליך את המירוץ עם 33 אחוזי תמיכה בסיבוב הראשון. רויאל דולקת אחריו עם 23 אחוז, וביירו מדורג שלישי עם 16 אחוז, עליה שני שני אחוזים מהחודש שעבר. מועמד הימין הקיצוני לה פן זוכה בסקר ל-11 אחוז, אך בשונה מביירו, הוא מאיים בעיקר על מחנה הימין.

ביירו לעומת זאת, מאיים בנסיבות מסויימות על שני היריבים המובילים: על פי סקר של חברת "איפופּ", אם הוא יצליח להתברג בין שני המקומות הראשונים בתום הסיבוב הראשון ב-22 באפריל, הוא מסוגל לנצח את סרקוזי או את רויאל בסיבוב השני ב-6 במאי. על פי הסקר, הוא יגרוף 52 אחוז לעומת 48 של סרקוזי בסיבוב השני, או 54 אחוז מול 46 של רויאל.
מפלגתו של ביירו, האיחוד למען צרפת דמוקרטית (UDF) אמנם מצדדת בעמדות מפלגה השלטון הימנית בפרלמנט, אך הוא עצמו נחשב למבקר קולני של סרקוזי. הוא הבטיח לצמצם עלויות תעסוקה וביורוקרטיה, ומצדד בקואליציה רחבה ויציבה שתוכל להניע רפורמות. הוא אפילו רמז שאם יהיה נשיא, ימנה תחתיו ראש ממשלה מהשמאל. זהו אמנם לא נתון המעיד על אחוזי ההצבעה, אבל על פי אחד הסקרים, 55 אחוז מהציבור אמרו שהיו רוצים לראות אותו בסיבוב השני.
"שנים חיכינו לסיכוי הזה והיום אנחנו מאמינים שביירו יכול להגיע לסיבוב השני ולנצח", אמר ל-ynet רודי סאל, אחד מדובריו של ביירו. "ממשלת מרכז כמו בגרמניה יכולה להוציא את צרפת ממצבה הנוכחי, ומהחובות.
אלא שהפרשנים לא ממהרים להמר עליו, ועדיין טוענים שסיכוייו קלושים. "אחרי בחירות 2002 וההצלחה של לה פן בסיבוב הראשון, המצביעים יחזרו למפלגות הגדולות, לסוציאליסטים ול-UMP", אמר ל-ynet פרדריק חזיזה, פרשן פוליטי. "אנחנו לא חוששים ממצב כזה", הגיב רודי סאל לדבריו.

רויאל פתחה את הפה
בתוך כך מנסה רויאל לשקם את הריסות מסע הבחירות שלה, שלדעת הפרשנים עומד לקרוס. רויאל הביאה אמנם משב רוח מרענן וחדשני לפוליטיקה הצרפתית הגברית ברובה, אבל הטעויות המביכות שלה, ופליטות הפה המיותרות שלה ושל מקורביה דירדרו אותה בסקרים.
בסקר של "איפסוס", היא גרפה 23 אחוז – 10 אחוזים פחות מלסרקוזי ונקודת שפל חסרת תקדים עבורה. סקר של "TNS סופרס-יונילוג" עבור "לה פיגרו" העניק לה 45 אחוז בסיבוב השני מול 55 אחוז של סרקוזי – פער גדול בשביל מי שעד לאחרונה הייתה צמודה ליריבה בכל הסקרים.

הצניחה שלה בסקרים ופרישת היועץ הכלכלי שלה היו מכה קשה למסע הבחירות שלה. היא תולה תקווה רבות בהופעה מיוחדת שלה בטלוויזיה ביום שני, במהלכה השיבה לשאלות הציבור בנושאים שונים. "אם זה לא ישתפר אחרי זה, המצב באמת יסתבך", אמר ג'רום סנט-מארי, ממכון הסקרים BVA.

בחודשים האחרונים הייתה רויאל מטרה נוחה לחיצי ביקורת מושחזים סביב מסע הדילוגים שלה ברחבי צרפת במסגרתו ביקשה לשמוע מה מטריד את הציבור. קמפיין ההקשבה שלה – והעובדה שדיברה הרבה אבל אמרה מעט מאוד – גרמו לרבים לפקפק בכישוריה כמנהיגה.
ביום שני היא ניסתה לעצור את ההידרדרות שלה בצעד דרמטי: היא פתחה את הפה. היא התייצבה באולפן התוכנית "יש לי שאלה עבורך" ובמשך כשעתיים השיבה על שאלות של 100 צרפתים שמהווים מדגם מייצג של האוכלוסיה.

"אני סבורה שאני מוכנה... ושאני היחידה שיכולה לבצע את השינויים העמוקים שצרפת צריכה", אמרה בשידור ישיר למיליוני צרפתים. היא טענה גם שספגה התקפות בוטות יותר באשר לכישוריה רק בשל היותה אישה. "אף גבר עם הרקע המקצועי שלי לא היה נאלץ לספוג התקפות על כישוריו, או להדוף ספקות באשר ללגיטימיות שלו. זה יותר קשה בשביל אישה לשאוף להיות נשיאה... אבל אני סבורה שהגיע הזמן".

www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3367661,00.html

המאבק לנשיאות צרפת נפתח במזרח התיכון

2007-06-29T00:54:00.002+02:00

המאבק לנשיאות צרפת נפתח במזרח התיכון

בימין הצרפתי נהנו לראות את סגולן רויאל "דורכת על מוקשים" בביקורה הרשמי הראשון במזרח התיכון כעדות לחוסר הניסיון שלה, אך העיתונות בצרפת הזהירה: גם אם רויאל שגתה, סרקוזי ייפגע ממשחק הסכינים הזה
שירלי סיטבון, פריז
פורסם:
05.12.06, 08:25

ביקורה במזרח התיכון של סגולן רויאל, מועמדת הסוציאליסטים לנשיאות צרפת, נועד לאפשר לה לצבור קצת ניסיון בדיפלומטיה בינלאומית ולהכיר מקרוב את אחד ממוקדי הסכסוך המורכבים בעולם, קדימון לקראת המשימה הכבדה שתוטל עליה אם תגיע לארמון האליזה. אך לאחר שורת תקריות מביכות בלבנון, ולמרות הביקור המוצלח יחסית בישראל, ספק אם הניסיון שצברה רויאל ייזכר אצלה לטובה.

בימין הצרפתי לעומת זאת רואים בתקלות של רויאל משאלה שהתגשמה. חודשים חיכו במחנה של שר הפנים ניקולא סרקוזי לטעות מהדהדת של רויאל, שתסדוק את התדמית החלקלקה שלה בעיני הציבור ותוכיח שהיא אינה ראויה או מנוסה להיות נשיאת הרפובליקה, כפי שהם טוענים.

עיתוני צרפת דיווחו בהרחבה על ביקור רויאל בלבנון ועל נכונותה להיפגש עם אנשי חיזבאללה וחמאס - למרות שפגישות כאלה לא יצאו לבסוף לפועל. שיא הסערה היה כמובן סביב התבטאותו של חבר הפרלמנט הלבנוני עלי עמר, שהשווה את ישראל לנאצים. רויאל לא רק שלא גינתה את הדברים אלא אף הביעה הסכמה עם חלק מהם - ורק למחרת התנערה מההשוואה ומרוח הדברים שנאמרו בנוכחותה.

הדוברים העיקריים של מחנה הימין, משר החוץ פיליפ דוסט-בלאזי, דרך שרת ההגנה מישל אליו-מארי ועד סרקוזי בעצמו מיהרו לנעוץ ברויאל ציפורניים וטענו שביקורה רק פוגע ביחסים העדינים שבין צרפת למדינות המזרח התיכון. דוסט-בלאזי כינה את רעיונותיה של רויאל "פשטניים" וסרקוזי - שלפני ימים ספורים הכריז רשמית על התמודדותו לנשיאות - תמה איך תתמודד רויאל עם סוגיות סבוכות כמו משבר הגרעין עם איראן, כשהמנטרה המועדפת עליה היא "נשאל את העם לדעתו".

מהצד השני של המפה נשמעו בעיקר קולה של רויאל וקולו של בן זוגה פרנסואה הולנד. שאר הדוברים הסוציאליסטים הבולטים - גם כאלה שתקפו אותה בעבר על חוסר ניסיונה בתחום החוץ - העדיפו לשמור על פרופיל נמוך. רויאל הגנה על עצמה וטענה שלא שמעה מהמתורגמן את ההשוואה האמורה. דוברהּ צבע את כל הביקורת שהוטחה בה בנושא הזה כניסיון הכפשה פוליטי. אם מישהו שאף לבדוק מה בדיוק נאמר באותה פגישה ומה תורגם לאזניה של רויאל צפויה לו אכזבה: משרד החוץ הצרפתי הודיע הערב שאין אפשרות לברר שכן הדברים לא הוקלטו.

מודעה

העיתונים בצרפת לא עשו לרויאל הנחות והדגישו את הטעויות שלה, אך בה בעת הזהירו את הימין מביקורת אגרסיבית מדי, שעלולה לגבות מהם מחיר פוליטי. "רויאל באה למזרח התיכון עם מזוודות ריקות", העריך העיתון "ליברסיון", "אבל בריקוד הסכינים סרקוזי עלול להיפגע יותר ממנה"; "הימין תוקף את רויאל", נכתב בכותרת של "לה-מונד"; "הישראלים לא מתייחסים למחלוקת הצרפתית ומגלגלים לרויאל שטיח אדום", כתב "לה-פריזיאן".
בקהילה היהודית ראו בחומרה את החלטתה של רויאל להיפגש עם נציגי החיזבאללה, וטענו שהעיתונות אינה מבקרת מספיק את עמדותיה של רויאל. "אין לדבר עם החיזבאללה", אמר רוג'ה קוקרמן, ראש אחד הארגונים היהודיים הגדולים בצרפת לעיתון "ליברסיון".

www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3336125,00.html

Vins et Gastronomie: Les Vins du Soleil

2007-06-17T20:09:00.001+02:00

Par Rébecca Assoun et Shirli Sitbon

publié dans le numéro d'octobre-novembre 2005

photos de Robert Sitbon

Le vin israélien a fait son entrée sur la carte du monde de la haute gastronomie. Réintroduit dans la région il y a un siècle par la famille Rothschild, il suscite depuis une vingtaine d’années l’intérêt des amateurs qui le qualifient désormais « d’étoile montante » de la scène mondiale du vin.

Sur les hauteurs de la Galilée et du Golan jusqu’aux profondeurs du désert, le vignoble israélien progresse. Réintroduit dans la région à la fin du 19e siècle par la famille Rothschild, le vin fait pourtant partie du paysage depuis longtemps. C’est une tradition de plusieurs milliers d'années.
Trois mille ans avant Jésus-Christ, les habitants de cette région produisaient déjà du vin et 1500 ans avant notre ère ils en faisaient déjà le commerce. D’ailleurs les vestiges de ce passé sont toujours là, aux côtés des nouveaux vignobles d’aujourd’hui. Dans le désert de Judée, près de la mer morte, d’anciens pressoirs, fouloirs et caves sont ouverts aux amateurs venus parcourir la route des vins.

“ Le vin de cette région fait partie des fondateurs ” confirme Philippe Faure-Brac, meilleur sommelier du monde “ La culture du vin a commencé dans le Caucase, en Mésopotamie, Egypte, Grèce et Gaule ”.

Deux mille ans plus tard, à la fin du 19ème siècle, lorsque les juifs d’Europe commencent à se réinstaller en Palestine, à l’époque sous contrôle Ottoman, c’est le début de l’ère moderne de l’industrie du vin en Israël. Le Baron Edmond de Rothschild, copropriétaire en France de Château-lafite, en est le premier instigateur.
En 1886 il fait planter des vignes sur le Mont Carmel qui longe la côte. Un petit village établi au cœur de l’exploitation, à 20km au sud de Haïfa, prend le nom du père d’Edmond de Rothschild, James Jacob de Rothschild. Le village s’appelle Zihron Yaakov, ‘En la mémoire de Jacob’.

C’est sur ces terres bordant la Méditerranée, sans pluie entre les mois d’avril et d’octobre, que le Baron de Rothschild fait planter des cépages bordelais rouges, estimant qu’ils sont les seuls à pouvoir supporter le soleil de plomb qui domine la région. Ce choix est encore largement suivi par les producteurs d’aujourd’hui. Le cabernet sauvignon domine largement même si d’autres cépages, principalement le merlot, le chardonnay, le sauvignon et plus récemment le syrah ont été introduit avec succès dans la région.
La petite exploitation de Rothschild devient la société coopérative Carmel et s’étend au fil des ans dans le centre du pays, dans les régions de la Samarie et du Samson. Aujourd’hui leader du marché, Carmel produit 80% du vin israélien avec ses deux principaux concurrents, Golan et Barkan.
La qualité du vin produit par Rothschild à la fin du 19e siècle est bien meilleure que celle des anciens vins de la région, mais les producteurs ont encore un long chemin à parcourir avant d’atteindre le niveau européen. Le principal obstacle à franchir est le climat très chaud qui ne semble pas convenir à la production de vins de grande qualité.
Il a fallu attendre un siècle pour que des solutions techniques soient trouvées, ceci grâce à l’arrivée de businessmen producteurs inspirés par le succès des vins du nouveau monde.

Golan et Galilée : terres accueillantes du nord

La culture du vin en Israël a connu sa grande révolution il y a une trentaine d’années.
Les raisons de ce changement sont les nouvelles techniques adaptées aux climats chauds et à un déplacement en altitude vers la fraîcheur du Golan et de la Haute Galilée où les derniers vignobles se trouvent respectivement à une hauteur de 1200m et de 800m.

Le Golan et la Galilée, dans le nord d’Israël, sont des terres riches, volcaniques, basaltiques et rocailleuses. Elles sont considérées comme “naturelles ” pour les vignes. De nouveaux domaines y sont créés, Golan Heights, Barkan et Tishbi. Ces terres sont arrosées par les neiges fondues du mont Hermon, qui surplombe la région. Au côté des vignes, les producteurs plantent souvent des oliviers.
“ Ici, on profite du soleil qui permet un bon mûrissement du fruit et, en même temps, l’altitude nous assure des températures fraîches la nuit. ” explique Alex Haroni, un producteur installé depuis 10 ans en Haute Galilée, propriétaire de la maison Dalton. “ Cette fraîcheur est essentielle parce qu’elle bloque le processus de maturation. Ainsi les raisins sont bien mûrs mais ne brûlent pas ”.

Grâce à ce mûrissement du fruit, les vins israéliens sont riches en couleur et ont un beau corps.
Philippe Faure-Brac décrit un cabernet sauvignon de Galilée âgé de cinq ans dans son dernier ouvrage, ‘vins et mets du monde’ : « La robe grenat lumineuse est moyennement soutenue ; le nez exprime, classiquement des arômes de fruits noirs – mûres, cassis – et une touche végétale de poivron ; la bouche plutôt tendre, témoigne d’un vin bien structuré, d’intensité et de longueur moyennes. Avec ce vin fin, il s’agit de privilégier l’élégance du cépage ». Le sommelier préconise une association du cabernet avec de petits pâtés à la viande, du carpaccio de bœuf, du poulet rôti, du gigot ou encore avec de la mimolette.

“Au final, la chaleur est excellente. ” estime Alex Haroni “La canicule qui a frappé a France en 2003 a eu un excellent effet sur le vin et en Israël, tous les étés sont des étés de canicule. ”
La chaleur n’a pas que des avantages. Si les vignerons ne prennent pas toutes les précautions nécessaires, elle peut favoriser une fermentation alcoolique excessive. Le vin serait alors déséquilibré. C’est l’un des risques des climats chauds, lorsque le raisin est riche en sucre. « Il faut tout faire pour maintenir la fraîcheur et la délicatesse des arômes.» explique Alex Haroni
L’esprit du nouveau monde et les critères de qualité de l’Europe

En Israël, les producteurs profitent d’une météo extrêmement stable d’une année sur l’autre. Il ne pleut pas entre les mois d’avril et d’octobre. Les risques sont donc peu nombreux et les vignes peuvent être vendangées assez tard dans la saison. Ces vendanges tardives permettent aux raisins de mûrir davantage, pour que toutes les composantes de leur goût se développent pleinement.
La culture du vin de qualité est jeune en Israël et les producteurs tentent de combiner les techniques des deux mondes “ la philosophie du nouveau monde et les critères de qualité de l’Europe ”, selon la formule du domaine d’Ephrat.
Cette volonté de progresser est partagée par le public qui devient de plus en plus gourmet et qui encourage les producteurs dans leurs efforts. Les progrès dans la culture du vin sont accompagnés par le développement de la gastronomie locale, la multiplication des fromages et le succès des produits de qualité tel que les huiles d’olives.

Les méthodes de production des pays du ‘Nouveau monde’ permettent de résoudre les problèmes liés à la sécheresse et à la chaleur tout en profitant des bienfaits de l’ensoleillement. De nouveaux équipements importés des Etats Unis et de l’Europe sont installés à travers le pays. Désormais chaque facteur est soigneusement contrôlé, des champs jusqu’aux fûts d’élevage.

Arrosage au goutte-à-goutte

Les chercheurs agronomes israéliens apportent leur contribution à la révolution. Ils ont mis au point l’arrosage au goutte-à-goutte, une technique exportée dans le monde entier. Elle permet aux producteurs de contrôler le taux d’humidité de la terre. L’eau est acheminée dans tout le pays grâce à la conduite d’eau nationale, qui parcourt le pays du nord au sud.
L’arrosage au goutte-à-goutte favorise le développement des racines en surface. On peut dès lors sentir que la minéralité de ces vins est moins importante, et que le terroir a moins d’influence sur le goût. La personnalité du vin est développée davantage par l’élégance du fruit et par le climat. L’élément minéral restant accessoire, il est important pour les producteurs que la vinification soit au point en ce qui concerne les techniques, notamment pour l’élevage.
Les barriques de chêne sont importées des Etats-Unis et de France. Toutefois, pour le moment, la plupart des producteurs israéliens ne jouent pas trop sur le goût du bois et considèrent les fûts et les tonneaux comme de simples outils. " Notre seul objectif est de valoriser au maximum le fruit. Le goût du bois doit simplement souligner les arômes," disent les producteurs.
Cette conception commence à changer. Désormais, certains producteurs accentuent le goût du bois. C’est le cas par exemple du domaine de Zarit, en haute Galilée, où certains vins sont élevés pendant quatorze mois dans des barriques de chêne français. Parfois, l’effet est trop marqué et nuit à l’équilibre du vin.

Les techniques du nouveau monde permettent d’introduire de nouveaux cépages. Outre le cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, sémillon et sauvignon, les producteurs ont planté plus récemment dans les zones les plus fraîches du gewurztraminer et du riesling.
“ L’un des cépages les plus populaires en Israël est le riesling émeraude”, estime Amos Ravid, de la maison Carmel. “ C’est une variété assez exclusive, développée en Californie. C’est un croisement de riesling alsacien et de muscadet. On en fait des vins mi-secs extrêmement aromatiques, au bouquet floral et fruité ”.
Les connaisseurs apprécient les muscats moelleux.
Cependant, certains cépages conviennent mieux au climat israélien que d’autres. "Nous avons une grande expérience des cépages de petite syrah, carignan et cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay", dit Assaf Paz. “ Il est plus difficile d’obtenir le meilleur des gewurztraminer, riesling et pinot noir. ”

Un petit pays où sont cultivés vingt cépages différents

Israël est un petit pays en surface mais la gamme de terroirs est grande. Du nord au sud le climat varie et cela permet de cultiver une grande variété de cépages.
"Le pays est à peine plus grand que la région bordelaise, et pourtant, alors que dans cette magnifique région française on cultive jusqu’à neuf cépages, en Israël on en cultive une vingtaine". D’une région à l’autre, les vins ne se ressemblent pas.
"Goûtez un Merlot de 2 vignobles distants d’environs 5km, son goût n’est pas le même, il s’agit de 2 vins biens distincts. Le terroir est simplement différent dans ces 2 vignobles".
Comme le temps est identique d’une année sur l’autre, la différence entre les millésimes est minime. Il s’agit de légères nuances qui proviennent essentiellement de la floraison et du bourgeonnement plutôt que de la phase finale de mûrissement.

Les producteurs essaient par ailleurs de perpétuer certaines traditions en maintenant la production des cépages les plus anciens de la région, le Carignan, petite syrah et grenache.
Depuis quelques années, les assemblages de Cabernet Sauvignon, de Merlot et de Syrah recueillent de bonnes critiques des experts internationaux et reçoivent des prix (au Vinexpo à Bordeaux, International Wine and Spirit Competition à Londres et au BTI à Chicago). Ces vins sont désormais cités dans les guides gastronomiques (Pocket Wine Book, de Hugh Johnson ; L’Atlas du vin, de Jancis Robinson). Le vin israélien est décrit par Oz Clarke comme étant “une étoile montante du monde du vin ”.

Aujourd’hui Israël compte près de cent cinquante vignobles. Plus de 7500 hectares sont consacrés à la culture de la vigne et la production annuelle s’élève à 60 000 tonnes de raisins. Les principales régions vinicoles sont toujours la Samarie et le Samson, mais la vigne continue à gagner du terrain. Après le développement du Golan, de la Galilée et des collines aux alentours de Jérusalem, les producteurs sont désormais engagés dans une autre conquête, celle du désert du Néguev, qu’ils comptent bien faire verdir.

“ La fleur du désert ”

Dans le sud d’Israël, les vignobles du Néguev forment des bandes vertes impressionnantes en plein désert. On y trouve les vignes de Mitspé Ramon, entre Beersheba et la ville balnéaire d’Eilat, ou encore les domaines de Yatir et de Ramat Arad, concrétisation du rêve du Premier Ministre David Ben Gourion, l’un des fondateurs d'Israël : « faire fleurir le désert ».
Ces régions suscitent depuis quelques années l’intérêt croissant des producteurs qui y ont installé de nouveaux équipements. Ils y cultivent principalement des cépages bordelais rouges, du cabernet sauvignon, merlot et Syrah.

Planté avec de nouvelles vignes dans les collines du nord du Néguev, un endroit particulièrement sec, le Domaine de Ramat Arad produit des vins parmi les plus fins d’Israël.
Situé 600 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer, la vigne est souvent enveloppée de brumes le matin. Les températures fraîches de la nuit protègent les raisins contre un soleil trop fort.
Dans le désert, le raisin est cultivé dans les secteurs les plus frais. La terre est extrêmement pauvre mais les conditions difficiles ne sont pas forcément un handicap. Au contraire, pour qu’un vin soit intéressant et bon, il faut que la vigne ait tendance à souffrir.

Dans le désert aride du Néguev, encore plus qu’ailleurs en Israël, l’agriculture n’est possible que grâce à l’irrigation. Les viticulteurs ont prouvé que le sol sableux convenait parfaitement aux vignes, comme il convenait à la culture de fruits et légumes. Mais si le vignoble israélien s’étend, et si la science fait des miracles, ils connaissent eux aussi des limites.
“ Il est vrai que nous cultivons des vignes dans le désert, mais on ne choisit pas les terres au hasard. On sélectionne les zones les plus élevées et fraîches.” explique Amos Ravid

Mais il faut l’admettre, certaines terres ne sont tout simplement pas adaptées à la culture du vin. Le soleil y frappe trop fort et les températures y sont trop élevées. Ainsi pour les producteurs passionnés, les limites et frontières sont palpables. Dans ce petit pays, la boucle semble bouclée. Le vignoble est désormais plus vaste que jamais et il a rejoint et dépassé son berceau d’origine. Les aventuriers de l’épopée du vin n’arrivent pas pour autant au bout de leur parcours. Loin de se contenter de leurs acquis, leur volonté est de se hisser au plus haut et de se rapprocher de leurs modèles.

L’œnologue Assaf Paz nous a confié que son rêve serait de voir le vin israélien sur les tables européennes et qu’il ne soit plus considéré comme un produit insolite ou exotique mais, comme du vin, tout simplement.