“You have our full trust,” added the minister, who was also visiting Israel.
Christian Estrosi signed a cooperation agreement dealing with fibre optics with Moshe Kahalon, Israel’s Minister for Communication. He also met with Shimon Peres, the President of the State of Israel.
Shimon Peres also asked Christian Estrosi for France to help Jordan, which is facing very serious water problems.
The CRIF delegation, which spent four days in Israel, visited a desalination plant run by ADOM Ltd Veolia Environment Israel, just 5 km from Gaza in the suburbs of Ashkelon.
The plant is ultimately designed to supply water to Jordan and the Palestinians.
The CRIF delegation was received by Israel’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in Beit Dagan, close to Rishon-le-Zion. Israel’s admission into the OECD is well on the way to being accepted. Because Israel produces 50% more than it needs in agriculture, exports are exceedingly important and go, among others, to the Palestinians.
Questioned by Richard Prasquier about the boycott of Agrexco, which is contrary to French law, Shalom Simchon explained the situation. Richard Prasquier said that he was in favour of coordinating information and action with the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture.
The first day of the mission to Jerusalem started with a meeting with the French Minister for Industry, Christian Estrosi.
CRIF then visited Israel’s Minister for Communication, Moshe Kahalon. Faced with what can only be considered an attempt to deligitimise Israel on a global scale, the minister said that the French government had responded as a true friend of Israel and, while it is difficult to measure the extent of this “wide scale brain washing”, Israel has decided to adopt the slogan: “We must deligitimise deligitimation”. According to Moshe Kahalon, Israel is genuinely worried, because the Goldstone report has undoubtedly marked a turning point. Yet the IDF is recognised by impartial observers as the most moral army in the world. The minister believes that all over the world men and women should rise up and, like Emile Zola, cry out: “J’accuse!” In a word, “wherever there are lies, our role and CRIF’s role is to speak, to shout out the truth”.
The CRIF delegation was later received by the Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Information, Yuli Edelstein, who emphasised the importance of dialogue between Israel and the Diaspora and the need to undertake joint action. There is a great need to “no longer focus so much on the themes of war and its casualties, and rather to draw the attention of the public to Israel’s successes in wide ranging fields: technology, science, medicine… Israel is also the sea, beaches, discos and restaurants”. Referring to other concerns, the Minister reckoned that the new forms of anti-Semitism we are seeing are not preventing the more traditional forms from continuing to make themselves felt. During the discussion, CRIF President Richard Prasquier pointed out that in the days of Internet the reactions of the Israeli government need to be quick, even immediate.
At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the CRIF delegation met successively with several senior figures, including Danny Ayalon, Vice-Minister, who despite the difficulties encountered by Israel says he is “optimistic”, and Yigal Palmor, spokesperson for the Minister, who undertook a very sharp and clear-sighted review of the difficulties faced by Israel.
The CRIF delegation also met with France’s Consul General in Jerusalem, Frédéric Desagneaux. Together, they undertook a wide-ranging review of the situation in the Near East, particularly Gaza and the Goldstone report. Frédéric Desagneaux said that he had noted an improvement of the economic situation of Palestinians living in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. “The fact that road checks have been lightened has significantly contributed to this upturn”.
During a friendly dinner reception, Jean-Claude Niddam, legal advisor for Palestinian affairs with the Ministry of Justice, examined the legal aspects of Israeli-Palestinian relations and the often forgotten issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
Hosting CRIF in Jerusalem, Shimon Peres, the President of the State of Israel declared that “the price of peace is not as high as the cost of war”. According to President Peres, not only do negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians need to restart, they must also come to a conclusion.
Shimon Peres reckoned that there was no other partner for peace than Mahmoud Abbas, who is “the best” among the Palestinian leadership. While acknowledging psychological differences between Israelis and Palestinians, Shimon Peres reckoned that it was possible for negotiations to pick up again.
Speaking of the future of Jerusalem in the framework of a final agreement with the Palestinians, he said that the inhabitants of Jerusalem’s Arab quarters should not remain under Israeli jurisdiction. According to Israel’s President, each religion must keep its holy places in Jerusalem, for the Jews this being the Western Wall.
Speaking of relations between France and Israel, Shimon Peres referred to them as “good”. Paris wants to bring Damascus back into the diplomatic circuit. But “Syria must become European and not the opposite!”. Israel is pleased with the clear positions taken by France over Iran and notes with satisfaction that economic, scientific and technological cooperation is developing well. As an example, the first electric vehicles built together with Renault will come off the production line in 2010.
Looking at the future, Shimon Peres shared a revolutionary idea with his visitors: “I would like to transform Israel’s army into a vast university campus. Each soldier should be able to obtain a post-graduate diploma at the end of his or her military service”.
Shimon Peres concluded on a lighter note: “A Jew cannot be satisfied. When a Jew becomes satisfied, he is no longer a Jew. Our permanent driver is dissatisfaction, it is this that allows us to be continually creative.”
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