Chirac: France unfairly seen in Israel as anti-Semitic

[drdon326]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040213/wl_afp/france_israel_jews_040213080007

President Jacques Chirac said in an interview with an Israeli newspaper that his country is being unfairly criticized in Israel as anti-Semitic while France is leading a "tireless struggle" against such discrimination.

"France works relentlessly to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism," he told Yedioth Aharonoth in an interview days before a visit by Israeli President Moshe Katsav.

"Israeli criticism of anti-Semitism in Europe singles out France," he said. "I am surprised at this. I am told that in the streets of Tel Aviv, in newspaper cartoons and in conversations, the image of France as an anti-Semitic country is gradually spreading. These caricatures deeply hurt French people.

"No, France is not an anti-Semitic country. But we must remain highly vigilant. With the government, we lead a tireless struggle against anti-Semitic language and acts," he said.

He acknowledged there has been a "resurgence of anti-Semitic acts" in Europe in the past three years, which he termed "revolting and unacceptable" and which he linked to the Middle East conflict.


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Take your head out of your ass, jacques.

[tinnypriv]

1. Subtle

I bet Amnon Dankner is crying at the lack of direct acknowledgement as we speak.

[legin]

2. The problem with this story

it's got the feel of the naughty boy in front of the headmaster about it.

If the right wing want to sling the political mud around (the anti-semitism charge) then Europe should start slinging stuff back at them gratuitously and uninhibitatedly. It is not as though there isn't anything to chuck back.

[Name removed]

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[MikeGalos]

5. I wonder if

it might just have something to do with Chirac only coming out against the rise of anti-Semitism in France after the elections where he actively courted France's 5,000,000 Moslems at the risk of losing what support he had from France's 600,000 Jews...

[legin]

6. I wonder if

This has something to do with the fact that France stood up against the right-wings plans to remake the middle east in a way that was amenable to the goals of the right-wing.

[MikeGalos]

7. You wonder that?

Care to explain how Chirac was silent on anti-Semitism before the election and profoundly against it afterwards? And how that silence in the face of what he now calls racist bigotry is "standing up against the right-wing"?

[legin]

8. Gimme a break

I imagine they may be a few problems, it would be huge surprise if there wasn't given the large amount of people that are desperatly trying to flush this planet down the plughole, but 98% of this crap is just political mudslinging on a par with the 'freedom fries' garbage.

[MikeGalos]

9. In other words

you can't back up what you said.