From Israel, where together with Haim Musicant he was taking part in a symposium on the Iranian threat, CRIF’s President said that we were faced with “a truly existential threat for Europe, the moderate Arab countries and, more generally, the whole world”. He reckoned that France was one of the European countries that was most aware of this danger.
During his trip, Richard Prasquier met in Jerusalem with the new President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres. The President of CRIF expressed the best wishes of France’s Jewish community and congratulated him for his election. Richard Prasquier said that he was “pleased”, at a time when relations between France and Israel were warming up, that a man who symbolises dialogue should be at the head of the country. The President of CRIF expressed his hope that the President of the State of Israel would be soon visiting France.
Richard Prasquier notes an improvement of France’s image in Israel Taking part in the inauguration of the New French Institute in Tel Aviv, a symbol of this change, in the presence of French Ambassador Jean-Michel Casa and the General Secretary of the French Foreign Ministry, Philippe Faure, the new President of CRIF said, “I have never encountered such a relaxed atmosphere in the relations between the two countries”.
Questioned about relations between France and Israel during an interview on Infolive TV in Israel, Richard Prasquier said he felt “good” because “relations between the two countries have undergone a remarkable transformation” adding that “it is a cause of immense satisfaction to become the president of CRIF at such a moment”. Richard Prasquier commented on his recent protest to the French Foreign Ministry to express his astonishment that Hizbollah had been invited to a conference in Paris. “For us, and for many countries around the world, Hizbollah is a terrorist movement. It is the movement which kidnapped two Israeli soldiers inside the Israeli border and was consequently responsible for the war in Lebanon last year. Since kidnapping these soldiers, it hasn’t deigned to give the slightest information about their fate”, added Richard Prasquier.
Richard Prasquier insisted on the importance of giving support to the families of the Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists and by Hizbollah last summer. He paid tribute to the struggle undertaken by the French association SIONA, which is doing everything in its power to free Gilad Shalit, Oudi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Concerning Gilad Shalit, who is held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Richard Prasquier recalled his French origins and added that “we must put pressure on our political authorities to do something. It is unacceptable to kidnap a man and not give his family any information as to his fate”.
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