Haim Musicant, Director General of CRIF, said, "For the first time, an official French document clearly states the link between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. It was one of the ideas I tried to convey to Jean-Christophe Rufin when he auditioned me."
This was indeed the most controversial part of the Rufin report commissioned by French Minister of Interior Dominique de Villepin. "By justifying whatever kind of armed struggle of the Palestinians even when it aims at innocent civilians, anti-Zionism offers a radical vision of the news justifying violent actions perpetrated in France itself. I consider (anti-Zionism) to be anti-Semitism by proxy. In the same way, accusations of racism, apartheid and of Nazism leveled at Israel have extremely important moral implications. By contagion, they may endanger the lives of our Jewish citizens. I suggest these outbursts should be punished," said Rufin.
Presenting the document to the press, Dominique de Villepin stressed the impact of the media in the cycle of anti-Semitic and racist violence. "(The Rufin Report) shows the importance of the media driven effects and the willingness of some unmotivated persons to become known through (anti-Semitic or racist) actions."
"There must be a common in-depth thinking including the media, the political leaders and the associations so that the duty to inform and to feel compassion for the victims would not encourage weak individuals craving for notoriety to act. (…) (To eradicate anti-Semitism and racism,) it is important to act as upstream as possible, in the schools," concluded Dominique de Villepin.
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