ANTI-SEMITISM, ARAFAT, AL-MANAR; ADDRESSED BY PRESIDENT ROGER CUKIERMAN AT THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE CRIF

The speech of President Roger Cukierman is followed by the answer of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Honorable Prime Minister,

Mrs. Raffarin, who has graced us with her presence,

Honorable Former Prime Ministers,

Mr. President of the Senate,

Mr. President of the National Assembly,

Honorable Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen the Elected Politicians,

Honorable Ambassadors,

Honorable Mayor of Paris,

Madam President of the Foundation for the Shoah Memorial,

Gentlemen representing the Faiths,

And all the many Presidents and Friends that I greet very warmly,

Honorable Prime Minister, it is for me a special pleasure to welcome you for a third time to this annual dinner of the CRIF, particularly because, despite the numerous difficulties we have faced in our respective functions, we have both weathered our first one thousand days in office!

This is a privileged moment for us inasmuch as it gives us the opportunity to express to you, by way of an open, respectful and frank dialogue, our concerns, our expectations and our hopes for the country of France.

You recently and with considerable emotion spoke about the Shoah at Izieu, as well as implementing and carrying out the renovation of the French pavilion at Auschwitz.

The President of the Republic, in person and with particularly moving words, expressed his absolute rejection of anti-Semitism at Le Chambon sur Lignon, a symbolic place if ever there was one, and more recently still at the inauguration of the Memorial the Shoah in Paris, upon which are engraved the 76,000 names of the Jews deported from France, and also of course in Auschwitz, at the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps.

We are grateful to the President of the Republic and to you, for the importance given to these commemorations. We also wish to thank the media for having unstintingly granted the survivors of the death camps the possibility of testifying about their experience and for having popularized the historical works of Serge Klarsfeld, not to mention that essential work by Claude Lanzmann, “Shoah”.



These commemorations are in line with the historic declaration of 1995, recognizing France’s responsibility in the crimes committed by the Vichy government. They are the expression of France’s respect for our martyrs. They are all the more moving because they allow you, nay, allow us with a feeling of some urgency to pay a respectful tribute to the last survivors of the deportation. They also convey your determination and that of the President and of your government to fight the new wave of anti-Semitism.

The Ministers of Home Affairs, of Justice and of Education, and many others, are also diligently taking part in the struggle against anti-Semitism.

Yet we must not forget that the mobilization of the Government and of all the major democratic parties has not been able to eradicate this curse. The Minister of Home Affairs has even recorded some one thousand acts or threats of anti-Semitic violence in 2004, as compared to 69 five years ago, that is to say nearly fifteen times more. Behind the statistics we are faced with some sad realities. The reality of those teachers who wanting to speak of the Shoah, or the history of Judaism, are interrupted by hostile reactions and who yield to force and ignorance. The reality of the “Dirty Jew!” insults that are branded on the destiny of young children.



What is more, we have seen the return of profanations of Christian, Muslim and Jewish tombs. We have heard leaders of the National Front make sickening comments. The past year was also a very dark year for all the victims of racist, sexist or homophobic acts. These victims need to be assured of our determination to act for greater solidarity in French society.

There is no doubt that the police have made significant efforts. Yet the crime solution rate of such acts, though better than the average for other crimes, remains limited. As for the judicial system, despite the often severe indictments by the state prosecution, it sometimes gives the impression of not adequately measuring the seriousness of anti-Semitic phenomena. Yet, “anti-Semitism is not an opinion, it is a perversion”, as the President of the Republic clearly stated a short while ago. I would add that the judicial system is not JUSTICE when it punishes the victims instead of the guilty parties: Thus young Ghebali had to wear a surgical collar following an anti-Semitic aggression. Yet her parents were sentenced to an 8,000 € fine for instigating wrongful proceedings. Similarly, in the lycée Montaigne case, it was the child Serrero who, after having been subjected to months of persecution because he was Jewish, was obliged to leave the school, and not his aggressors. I wish here to honor the presence of the Ghebali and Serrero parents in this room.

And what should we say about the judges in charge of the Dieudonné, Latrèche, Mermet, Tawil and Flammarion cases? The editor Flammarion was discharged in a previous case and now does it again by publishing another anti-Semitic book.

Faced with statistics that show no sign of relenting, faced with certain judges who refuse to condemn, we must not allow ourselves to be overcome with lassitude or become acclimatized to such a situation. We must not allow ourselves to be scared off by the sheer scale of the task before us. We must, to put it very simply, “walk the talk”.

Sanctions alone, in any case, are not sufficient. Teachers have the heavy responsibility of teaching our children not only the normal curriculum, but also the art of living together, the history of religions, of slavery and of anti-Semitism. Truth needs to be taught and upheld concerning Zionism, that remarkable movement of emancipation, to ensure that it is given its rightful place among the great stories of human history, and not as some scarecrow fantasy.

Local politicians should also commit themselves to be involved in the educational effort. I have thus suggested to Home Minister, to the Minister of Justice, and to the Chairman of the Association of French Mayors to ask the Mayors of our municipalities to summon the parents of minors who have been involved in criminal actions in order to solemnly give them a lesson in civic responsibility. Mayors could also organize inter-faith symposia. We believe in the virtues of dialogue. I wish here to salute the creation of an Association of Judeo-Muslim Friendship, with the participation of the CRIF.

An effort is also required to encourage integration. Business managers and housing owners must contribute to passing on to our children an understanding of a tolerant society. A society where one is not refused a job or a house just because one’s name is Christian, Mohamed or Abraham.

Over and above these long-term efforts, other measures could be taken in the short-term, if you so decide:

---The penal provisions against racism are set in the provisions of the 1881 Law on the press. There is a need to remove the provisions against anti-Semitism and racism from the restrictive context of this law and subject them to the rules of general law. In asking for such a step I am merely reiterating a request made one year ago.

---The State must take care not to finance filmed propaganda works such as “La Porte du Soleil” , that are broadcasted on the public channels and which convey a falsified vision of historical facts, when they don’t directly attack the “Yahoud”, the “Jew”.

---Lastly, there is a need to promote a European harmonization of the regulatory provisions governing radio and television broadcasting. Hatred, thanks to satellite technology, leapfrogs over protection barriers and is spreading throughout Europe. Already in September 2004, we requested the setting up at a European level of an authority having powers comparable to those of the CSA in France. In our day of borderless television, there is a need for a European regulatory body for radio and television. This same European cooperation is required for Internet.

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At this point I must express the malaise that I feel. Malaise in the face of what appears to me to be an incompatibility between France’s foreign policy and its internal struggle against anti-Semitism.

We read in the Rufin Report ordered by the Minister of Home Affairs: “It is not conceivable today to fight effectively in France against anti-Semitism, with the new forms that it has taken on, without doing all that can be done to seek to bring a greater balance in the appreciation of the situation in the Middle East among the general public.”

France’s foreign policy is often perceived as identifying America with Israel, Zionism with imperialism, globalization with oppression. Whether it is deliberately sought by our diplomats or not, this confusion is very real in the mind of public opinion, and nourishes the simplistic lumping together of notions whose harmful effect is felt by the Jewish people.

I particularly felt this malaise over the Al Manar affair.

Last year, after having viewed a videotape of Al Manar that we had forwarded to you, you declared, at this same dinner, that those images were “unbearable to look at, they burn the heart, and are revolting to reason”. In August 2004, the CSA asked the Council of State to ban this channel that belongs to Hezbollah.

Thus it was with the greatest surprise that I heard, on November 3rd 2004, that the CSA might, on the contrary, authorize Al Manar. I immediately alerted your office as well the President’s office.

In vain. Two weeks later, the CSA announced that it was authorizing Al Manar. In so doing, France was officially and legally admitting anti-Semitic propaganda in our country! Something unheard of in the past 60 years!

Fortunately, public opinion and political party leaders from both the left and the right who had been alerted by us, joined us in a massive protest, accompanied by tens of thousands of signatures, against this authorization.

I waited all through November, for a public, or even a private expression of disagreement by our political authorities with respect to the CSA’s decision. It was only on December 2 that the silence was broken with your speech to the Senate, Honorable Prime Minister. And the saga came to an end on December 17, when the CSA reversed its position and cancelled its authorization.

It is true that this case came to a “happy” conclusion, but it was for me a painful revelation. I realized the importance given to French foreign policy. To the point of running the risk of weakening France’s resolve in fighting anti-Semitism.

An accumulation of signs creates a system. And here are more such signs that cannot but raise questions:

---Why organize such a grandiose ceremony in France for Yassir Arafat, even more grandiose than in Egypt? I can understand the humanitarian aspects of his transfer to France and the rules of protocol. But we were treated to laudatory speeches, ecstatic tributes, the French national anthem, and the Republican Guard, all in honor of the Arafat’s mortal remains. Not a word was said over his catafalque concerning the man’s ambiguity. The reviving of the hope for peace that has accompanied the coming to power of his successor is clear evidence of how heavily misguided has been the strong, constant support given by France to Arafat. Who can deny today that Arafat was an obstacle to peace?

---Why was there no solemn denial by of the rumors from another age of Arafat’s poisoning, when such rumors are groundless and constitute a totally needless obstacle on the path to peace? This rumor, the rumor of Jewish poisoners is as old as the hatred of the Jews. Need we recall the accusation of well poisoning during the Great Plague in the 14th century, the rumors of tainted communion hosts during the Inquisition, the fabricated accusation by Stalin of a plot by Jewish physicians, or more recently the accusation of propagating Aids? Such rumors are the seedbed of hatred.

---Why did France tolerate Arafat’s false civil status registry declaration? Everyone knows that Arafat was born in Cairo and not in Jerusalem, in contradiction of the false version in his official French family civil status register.

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---I could wish that France would show as much friendship toward Israel as it does to the leaders of Arab countries.

Even as I cannot deny the sincerity and the real efforts of our new Minister of Foreign Affairs in favor of a more balanced position, I can nevertheless only observe that the decades-long unbalance carries tremendous inertia, and that still today France is even more distant and is more a lesson-giver toward the Israeli government than toward the other governments in that part of the world.

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The interference between foreign policy and domestic policy is a source of inconsistency and misunderstanding.

---This was the case when our two hostages were released in Iraq. This release was something we had all hoped for, even as we hope today for the release of Florence Aubenas and her guide. Yet this release was greeted with ambiguous comments. The hostage taking was a mistake and their release was justified because France defends the Iraqi people. As if the other 41 beheaded or merely, dare I say, assassinated hostages in Iraq in 2004 were guilty. Guilty of what? Where is the solidarity with the victims of barbarity? The idea that France, thanks to an original foreign policy, should alone in the world be assured of protection against the hatred of men, is a dangerous one. It is a viewpoint that is unfortunately widespread in our country.

---The same interferences may explain why an eminent association of journalists deplored the withdrawal of the Al Manar channel from our audio-visual scene. I can understand and I support those who wish to protect freedom of expression. But does that mean that we should tolerate those who call for murder, those who kidnap, those who kill hostages?

---Still on the subject of interferences, I would like to take another example, that of the Francophone community. Was it right, two years ago, to allow the Francophone summit in Beirut to become a forum of anti-Israeli hatred, in the presence of the head of Hezbollah? Year after year, with the risk of tiring you, we keep saying that it would be right to welcome Israel into the community of Francophone nations, because 20 percent of its population still speaks our language.

And running the risk of tiring us in turn, we are given the answer that there is nothing to oppose such a measure, if not the rule of unanimity.

Is it not high time to at last say no to Syria, which with Iran is Hezbollah's sponsor?
Is it not high time that France should cease to oppose the recognition by Europe of the fact that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization?

I wish I was mistaken about France’s unbalance in foreign policy. I would more than willingly admit my error. For example, on the day when, just as there was a summit of the Francophone community in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, it will be announced that a Francophone summit will be held in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

Israel is of all the 192 States of this planet the only country in the world whose capital we do not recognize. This refusal has lasted for 56 years. What reason can possibly justify the decision to not consider Jerusalem as the capital city of the only Jewish state in the world? What is more Jewish than Jerusalem? As Elie Wiesel has said: “I do not live in Jerusalem, but Jerusalem lives in me!”

We all desire peace in the Near East. Today, this peace is possibly very near. France can, France must contribute to it! A few judicious political gestures towards Israel would allow France to recover the image of a country that knows how to preserve quality relations with both parties in the conflict. It seems to me that the present time is particularly favorable for such initiatives, and we wish France to be actively associated with the peace efforts.

Such a harmonious and balanced relationship, true to the tradition of our country, is fundamental if France is to have an effective presence in a region where its political and moral interests are essential.

I think we may be optimistic, because the last declarations of the Government on the Israel-Palestinian dialogue, the recognition of the courageous nature of the withdrawal from Gaza and the criticism recently formulated by our foreign diplomacy against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon are undoubtedly a new and encouraging sign. It shows that positive changes are in progress.

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Honorable Prime Minister, just a few weeks ago, an unprecedented natural disaster hit Asia and the world. That terrible tsunami caused the death of some 300,000 human beings of all nationalities, races and religions! This serves to remind us of the fragile nature of the human condition when faced with the unleashing of the forces of nature, and of the necessary solidarity between the world’s inhabitants.

---Other scourges are also hitting mankind, initiated this time by men, by men governed by fanatical hatred. On September 11, 2001, terrorism struck America. Then it struck in Aden, in Bali, in Casablanca, in Istanbul, in Jerusalem, in Nairobi! On March 11 last year it reached Europe, in Madrid. This new monster promises paradise to those it sends to blow themselves up. This ogre devours its own children. All moderate Muslims, who are thankfully the majority, and also the women in Islamic lands, know it very well, because they are its first victims. It makes of the stoning of women a rule of education. It distorts the moral values of the great monotheistic faith that is Islam. It seeks to plunge the world once more into obscurity.

And it begins naturally in the Middle East. Nothing, nothing will be able to halt the massive exodus of eastern Christians. Today there are still 13 million of them, Copts, Maronites, and Chaldeans. They will be no more than 6 million in 2020.

---Other scourges threaten us. If the religious leaders of Iran obtain nuclear weapons, that risk will also concern Europe. What can European diplomacy do on its own, however talented it may be, to oblige the Iranians to stand by their commitments? The Iranian religious authorities are firmly resolved to dispose of such a nuclear weapon. We will only be able to convince them to give up their plan if Europe and America present a determined a united front. That will require firmness and solidarity by all democratic governments faced with terrorism.

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Honorable Prime Minister, our French society needs guidelines to be able to make peace with itself and to prepare our common future.

Faced with these scourges, faced with the dangers that threaten us, and whatever the political ups and downs, we believe in France’s eternal moral values. We know what we owe to our Republic, to its principles of tolerance, to its consummate art of living together that goes by the name of secularity.

We believe in a France capable of firmness and rigor.

We believe in a France capable of clarity and consistency.

We believe in a France capable of courage and solidarity.

We believe in a France capable of reconciling its domestic policy with its international policy, capable of encouraging peace and of combating with equal force anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and all forms of intolerance and discrimination.

Honorable Prime Minister, our very best hopes go with you in this struggle, in our common struggle for the values of the Republic!

Long live our hope for peace! Long live the Republic!

CRIF's Director General then gave the floor to French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin

President of the Senate,

President of the National Assembly,

Prime Ministers,

Ministers and Former Ministers,

Members of Parliament,

Chairperson of the Fondation pour la mémoire de la Shoah, dear Simone Veil,

Ambassadors,

Mayor,

President of the Regional Council,

Religious Representatives,

Dear Chairman of the CRIF,

I thank you for giving us the opportunity of meeting again for this annual event.

I would like to greet all those participating in this moment of dialogue that the CRIF dinner has become.

This is a unique moment, enabling lively and in-depth communication concerning the values of the Republic.

France is a solid Nation because it is a Nation that is strongly attached to republican values.

It is imperative for the public authorities to promote the ideals of dignity, respect and solidarity, and naturally, these ideals have guided my government's actions for almost three years now.

In this year of commemoration of the end of World War II and the liberation of the camps, we are reminded that the memory of the Jews is not altered by time.

The memory of the French Republic also has a duty to remain strong.

Anyone who has read the letters from Georgy to his "Dear Mom" from the Maison d'Izieu can never forget.


This unforgettable pain makes the re-emergence of anti-Semitism that this government is tirelessly fighting particularly deplorable.

Respect for these principles is more than ever a fervent demand.

Expressing this conviction is not simply a slogan, since, as we all know, French society has been confronted with grave unrest in the last few years, leading us to fear serious amnesia and the calling into question of our republican pact.

This unease manifests itself in many ways.

The most worrying symptoms naturally include the inadmissible increase in racist and anti-Semitic acts since the beginning of the new century.



We must face these difficulties with lucidity, determination and honesty.

Concerning racism and anti-Semitism, my first duty and that of the government is to unceasingly stress the intolerable nature of acts of aggression against citizens using the pretext of their religion or their origins.

These are disgraceful attacks, and every French woman, every French man, bears the scars.

Reminders of these principles would be nothing without firm and relevant action to defend the rights of our fellow citizens.

In the past three years, we have taken a number of measures in this respect.

I can assert, dear Roger Cukierman, that these initiatives have often been taken following in-depth discussions with the representative associations and bodies, the CRIF in particular.

The French Republic promises freedom, it is its duty to ensure its prerequisite - safety.

The re-establishment of safety has been, since 2002, a priority set by the President of the French Republic.

The number of anti-Semitic acts led me to decide to take increased actions to ensure the safety of Jewish establishments as of the summer 2002.

In compliance with the commitment I made here last year, the State took part in a financial program to ensure physical safety in these establishments.

In addition, specific instructions were given to increase police presence and a memorandum was distributed to police officers and gendarmes along with a document aimed at victims to facilitate the filing of complaints when racist or anti-Semitic acts are performed.

Finally, the Minister for the Interior recently set up specific provisions for the protection of cemeteries, in liaison with local authorities, and also to fight racism wherever it is expressed, including in sports stadiums, and to prohibit "Neo-Nazi" groups in France.

From the legal point of view, I heard what you said, Chairman, concerning the decisions taken by some courts, which caused surprise, or even shock.

I would like to say to all those who have been affected, particularly to parents of young pupils who have been subject to intolerable attacks, how much I understand their pain.

Tonight, I assert that the government's determination in this area has been expressed, is being expressed, and will continue to be expressed with utmost firmness. The government is united concerning this firm determination.

First, in support for the draft bill that provides for a heavier sentence when a racist or anti-Semitic motive behind an offence can be seen as an aggravating circumstance.

Then, through the sending of extremely strict instructions to the general prosecutors' offices to ensure that these acts be heavily sanctioned.

And, as you know, the courts pronounced a number of decisions of exemplary severity in 2004.

To take but one example, when the person who defiled the Douamont Memorial with Nazi graffiti received a two-year sentence with one year suspended. The exemplary nature of the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence.

It is our collective responsibility to make the severe nature of sentencing known, so that those tempted to give in to feelings of hatred that are both deplorable and unbearable are aware that the French justice system will punish their acts severely.

But, above and beyond the primary duty of respect, dignity and safety, our responsibility is to prevent and to fight these phenomena.

People are not born racist or anti-Semite.

They become it.

This is why we see education as a major issue, and schools are a priority area for the fight against racism and anti-Semitism.

This educational work has led us to distribute a "Republican booklet" in schools, an educational tool designed to fight racism, anti-Semitism and community withdrawal or isolation phenomena.

The setting up of a system enabling anti-Semitic acts to be pinpointed among racist acts now enables the academic authorities to react more rapidly.

The nomination of contacts in each Académie in charge of advising school heads when these situations arise should also enable more suitable reactions to be prepared.

In both cases, my concern is that victims have someone to talk to who understands what they have experienced.

I am also determined to confront the perpetrators with adults who can rapidly make them aware of their responsibilities.

Culture is obviously a crucial issue in the fight against the propagation of racist and anti-Semitic ideas.

I strongly condemn those who use racism as a money-spinner, to fill seats for certain performers who are looking for applause for hatred.

Their star status does not put them above the law.

I also condemn those who echo them.

Under no circumstances can we tolerate the staging of hatred.
I am particularly vigilant regarding certain supposedly literary initiatives, such as the undertaking recently presented in the press as an "unspeakable work".

I will say no more at this juncture, so as not to provide advertising for this disgraceful undertaking.

Regarding communication, in line with what I announced here a year ago, I proposed a major modification to French legislation to Parliament: the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (French Broadcasting Regulatory Authority) is now able to file an action before the Council of State to bring an end to broadcasting by channels whose programs threaten public order, human dignity, protection of minors and other fundamental principles in the name of which freedom of communication must be restricted.

It is within this framework that we obtained the legal means to prohibit the Al Manar channel, whose messages and images dragging us back 65 years we denounced.

French law had to be adapted to prohibit broadcasting of these messages.

This was done. The Al Manar channel is no longer authorized on French territory.

We were able to officially prohibit the channel.

In this affair, there was not and there could be no compromise with those who disseminate anti-Semitic ideas.

Chairman, during November, the necessary procedures were implemented to prohibit this channel.

It was obviously necessary to do so within the framework of compliance with the law, and this decision was supported by the highest French administrative jurisdiction.
In the past, I have seen legitimate proceedings weakened by their fragile legal status.

I made commitments, and I held to them.

Indeed, I am delighted to see that, in other countries, after this ban, other States followed our example.

France was the first country to act in this area, and I requested that the affair be taken up at European level by the Minister for Culture and Communication. Discussions on the subject are currently making progress in the European bodies.

I am personally involved.

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The implementation of this policy is now co-ordinated at the highest State level by the French Interministerial Committee to Fight Racism and Anti-Semitism, of which I am Chairman.

I ensure that this Committee meets on an extremely regular basis, and it has already met six times since December 2003.

This Committee expresses the government's strong determination, and is now indispensable for cross-Department co -ordination, so much so that we wonder why it was not created sooner.

The Committee has been cited as an example by many other States.

In view of this experience, I would like an analogous dialogue-based approach to be set in motion at European level.

I therefore submit a proposal to our European partners that aims to regularly and specifically include these subjects on the agenda for the "Justice and Home Affairs" Council of Ministers of the European Union .

I would like this initiative to enable implementation of stronger interministerial dialogue at European level to give lead to ambitious and effective action.

The ideal of the freedom of speech should not amount to giving carte blanche to intolerance.


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On an international level, regarding the fight against racism and anti-Semitism, we have taken a number of initiatives, consistent with our determination expressed at national level.

The initiative I consider to be the most important concerns the drafting of a code of ethics to fight racism and anti-Semitism on the Internet.

Although it is indeed difficult to set up an international legal system as severe as the French system, we cannot tolerate a situation of total impunity on the Internet, the global communication tool par excellence.

Several international conferences have enabled us to make progress, and I would like us to complete this work before the end of the year.


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Regarding our diplomacy, Chairman, without getting into an argument, I listened to you attentively concerning these serious topics at a time when the sun of hope is finally rising.

I will limit my comments to one quotation:

"France has evolved considerably in recent times, and in a very positive manner.
We have seen the adoption of resolution 1559 for the sovereignty of Lebanon.
I found the prohibition of the channel Al-Manar in France very encouraging.
It was a highly positive sign for Israelis.
We saw France's reaction following the anti-Semitic attacks on its territory, the participation of Jacques Chirac in the commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz, that of Michel Barnier at the special session of the United Nations, and French efforts concerning the nuclear question in Iran.
All these initiatives are extremely positive.
The relations between France and Israel are thawing.
There is much greater optimism between us.
Israelis who still doubt this only have to look at what the French are doing.
Something is happening, and what is happening is good."

This was said by Sylvan Shalom, Israeli Foreign Minister.

France's policy in the Middle East is based on one perspective - that of peace, reconciliation and security.

We can make 2005 the year of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The meeting between Mr. Sharon and Mr. Abbas is a sign of newfound hope, with the reciprocal commitment to a cease-fire, which may be fragile, but which constitutes an essential step towards trust.

This meeting follows a series of events that fit into a perspective of peace.

The courageous decision by Mr. Sharon to withdraw the Israeli forces from Gaza was suitably praised by France, the European Union and the international community.

It is a concrete measure, an important measure that makes the prospects of peace real, with the roadmap, which remains the framework for reaching an agreement.

The attitude of the Palestinians, and of their authorities during the presidential elections in January bore witness to a democratic maturity, showing the determination of the people to take control over their destiny.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush expressed America's commitment to seeking a solution for peace based on two States.

For France, as you know, peace requires the advent of a viable and democratic Palestinian State, living in peace and security with a fully and legitimately supported State of Israel.

Tony Blair, who was present, took part in bringing the positions closer together.

It is an issue on which transatlantic co-operation can and must be a potential for peace.

The challenge remains immense.

The services of the Palestinian Authority will certainly have to re-organize to increase guarantees of security, for the benefit of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Peace cannot be built with terrorism. The London conference on March 1st will provide an opportunity for the international community to support this process.

The withdrawal from Gaza, as we are well aware, is a source of political difficulties for Mr. Sharon.


We must encourage the success of this initiative, so that it contributes to the quest for peace.

Finally, this progress on the ground must go hand in hand with real political prospects. Above and beyond the successful withdrawal from Gaza, above and beyond the success of Palestinian reforms, the roadmap provides for an international conference to be held to restart the political process and prepare negotiations on the final status.

This is France's will and commitment, shared by our European partners.

As the nuclear issue in Iran shows, France's credibility depends on the independence of its policies and its determination to encourage solutions that ensure the region's stability.
It inspired the initiative by the three Europeans, committed to seeking a negotiated solution after the discovery of undeclared nuclear activities in Iran, which caused doubts to be expressed concerning the country's intentions.

The objective is simple - make sure that the nuclear programs in Iran cannot lead to nuclear capability that can be put to military use.

This is a determined effort, in favor of the goal of peace and stability, and which is appreciated by our European partners, our allies, and the countries in the region.

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let us not forget that the Europe of today was built on the ruins of thought and the horror of the Shoah.

This destruction of all humanity created a void where, paradoxically, the ideas of fraternity and reconciliation on which we build today were born.

Consciousness of the absolute evil that was perpetrated in the concentration and death camps must be an inalienable foundation of our European adventure.

As Simone Veil reminded us a few days ago during the commemoration ceremonies for the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the camps of Auschwitz Birkenau: "European countries which, twice, have led the whole world into murderous folly, have laid their demons to rest.

It is here, where absolute evil was carried out, that the will for a fraternal world, a world based on respect for man and his dignity, must be reborn".

This is what is at stake in our combat for the human values of the French Republic to be fully alive within Europe.

Our European project is not to build a technocratic and politically undecided body.


Our Europe is doted with a conscience.
I stress, here tonight: the European continent, with the memory of the errors that have been committed, is the bearer of a project, free from this murderous and horrifying anti-Semitism that blighted society until the middle of the 20th century.

In the Europe we are building and in which we believe, there can be no place for anti-Semitism or for any form of compromise with this negation of thought.

Of course, nothing can ever be taken for granted, and to avoid regression, the educational virtues of giving examples must constantly be brought to the fore.

This is why, two years ago, I undertook before you to commission the renovation of the French exhibition at the Auschwitz Pavilion: the idea was to give back the meaning to this exhibition in this place of absolute horror.

I know that the inauguration of this pavilion by the President of the French Republic on January 27th was marked by the intense emotion demanded by this moment of contemplation of the memory of the millions of victims of the Shoah and deportation.

In the same spirit, I am informing you that I have decided, on the invitation of the Israeli government, to attend the inauguration of the new Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem on March 15th and 16th.
I am delighted to be traveling to the friendly State of Israel for the first time.

To honor the memory of the Just who risked their lives to save their brothers in humankind is to encourage a memory of hope.

A memory that reminds us that during the darkest moments of the night of humankind, the light of fraternity and love never stopped shining, even if it wavered.

For me, it is essential to look at the suffering of others. This is how we understand, deep down, the anguish of the Jewish people, their feeling of constantly being under threat, their attachment to a State whose existence guarantees "never again", to quote the words of the President of the French Republic at the inauguration of the Shoah memorial on January 25th.

Being European today means having faith in the lessons of history and in the inseparability of culture and freedom.

We need Europe because its history obliges it to be the first to prevent hatred.

Europe must be at the vanguard of vigilance.

Our society is full of diversity, and that is what makes its strength. But above and beyond this diversity, basic values bring us together.
These include respect for others.
Freedom of conscience can be expressed both from a political point of view and a religious one.

I have talked to you about this in the past, the separation of Church and State, one of the structuring themes of the French Republic, does evidently not imply opposition to religious beliefs.

Quite the contrary, I believe that improving culture and knowledge in these areas is indispensable to encourage social cohesion and mutual respect.

Here again, Europe is a formidable opportunity, and I note that the draft European Constitution that will soon be submitted to the French people for approval includes express measures to enable the strengthening of responsible and serene dialogue between the public authorities and the various religions.

Preventing the return of intolerable attitudes and acts also implies organizing our capacity to dialogue with all schools of thought.

We are all aware that the absence of dialogue feeds hate.

Freedom of expression is what characterizes our democratic societies.

Our responsibility is to ensure that the political and democratic project that drives us at European level complies fully with the ideal of its founding fathers, the ideal of peace.

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Ladies and Gentlemen,


Let us look at our country and our continent.

Let us appreciate our good fortune in that we live in a democratic, republican society that respects humankind.

Let us appreciate our good fortune in that we live in a Europe that has the will to control its old demons, even if we have to show constant vigilance, as nothing can ever be taken for granted.

Let us not take an excessively pessimistic view of our society.

Let us not fear politics when it expresses its nobility, its honor, when "it defines itself as that which removes the eternal character of hate".

Thank you to the CRIF for bringing us together to fight hate.

The France that we love brings us together in fraternity, the Europe that we desire brings us together for peace.

Against Hatred, in Fraternity, for Peace,


Our vigilance is the basis for our hope.

Thank you for your attention.




The speech of Roger Cukierman was translated by TRANSMEDIAS

The translation of Jean-Pierre Raffarin's speech was provided by the Prime Minister's Office.