In Paris, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and his French counterpart de Villepin inaugurate the France-Israel Foundation

The two prime ministers expressed the wish to see the Foundation contribute to improving relations between France and Israel. Dominique de Villepin greeted CRIF as “representing the Jewish community in all its diversity” and said that one of the first actions supported by the Foundation had been the recent visit to Israel of students from the School of Journalism of the Paris Institute of Political Sciences, organized by CRIF.

The President of CRIF, Roger Cukierman and its General Director Haïm Musicant, were present at the banquet.

During his visit to Paris, the Israeli Prime Minister met with France’s Jewish community. In the presence of CRIF President Roger Cukierman, and an audience of several hundred guests, Ehud Olmert described the great importance of the relations between Israel and France and its Jewish community.

Speaking “from [his] heart”, the Israeli Prime Minister went on to pay tribute to the Jews in France who have invested so much in fostering relations with Israel.

Referring to the distress that they have experienced in recent years with the resurgence of anti-Semitic acts, in particular the murder of Ilan Halimi, he expressed his deep empathy for “what touches the most sensitive nerve in Jewish collective memory”. At the same time he praised President Jacques Chirac for implementing policies that take the full measure of this situation. He went on to add that the President and his Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, “form an extraordinary partnership in combating any form of aggression against Jews, a fact that is also embodied by other French political figures who are united on these issues.

Recalling the permanent nature of Jerusalem as the sole and indivisible capital of Israel, Prime Minister Olmert insisted on the extraordinary link that unites the Jews of France and Israel. Somewhat mischievously, the Prime Minister told his audience that they were living in a remarkable country and that he was very pleased for them, but that he would be even happier to see them settling in Israel.