François Hollande pronounced himself in favor of the European Union continuing its aid to the Palestinian population. The socialist leader recognized that Europe had not sufficiently “supervised the fund transfers”. “The European Union must lay down its conditions,” but, he underlined, it should also be looking at the amounts allocated to Africa and Eastern Europe.
François Hollande expressed his concern about “the Iranian danger that is not merely a regional problem but a global one.” For the First Secretary, who is also a mayor and MP, Iran has military objectives and the statements made by its leaders are directly targeting Israel. “Over and above keeping a watchful eye, there is a need to apply all kinds of pressure,” said the Socialist leader who identified with the statements made by Roger Cukierman at the recent CRIF dinner.
“There were not enough of us at the demonstration paying tribute to Ilan Halimi,” admitted François Hollande, whose party wants to be a model when it comes to combating anti-Semitism: “There is no doubt that this phenomenon is no longer the monopoly of the extreme right, but is diffused among individuals and groups that deliberately amalgamate it with the situation in the Near East.” He forcefully went on to insist that: “each time an anti-Semitic act takes place, it should be recognized as such, and the same should be the case with acts of racist aggression.” François Hollande admitted that from 2000 to 2002 the Socialist Party “had not sufficiently admitted the progression of anti-Semitic acts in 2000, no doubt to avoid giving the phenomenon sinister publicity”. There is always a need to face reality in order to better control it. François Hollande reckoned that the country is not sheltered from anti-Semitism and racism: “We had thought that democracy, education, and improved economic conditions would eradicate racism and anti-Semitism: but these are phenomena that we shall not see the last of before a long time.”
François Hollande reckoned moreover that there was a need to put in place “sufficiently strong dams” to avoid some people’s anti-Israeli criticism veering to anti-Semitic deviations.” He added that: “We do not, generally speaking, sufficiently fight the extreme right, which should always be stigmatized.”
Referring to the 2007 presidential election, François Hollande announced that the Socialist militants would be choosing the best candidate in September 2006 and that the campaign should not be launched “too early”.
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