The CRIF in action
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Published on 3 March 2007

The Mayor of Paris to CRIF: Anti-Semitism is a mortal threat to humanity

The Mayor of Paris insisted on the importance of the “Jewish part of French and Parisian identity” and denounced anti-Semitism as “a mortal threat to humanity”. Bertrand Delanoë highlighted the need to pass on the memory of the Holocaust, in particular to the younger generations, adding that he had requested the publication of a CD for school children in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

The Mayor of Paris reminded his listeners that after the war launched by Hizbollah against Israel in the summer of 2006, he had appealed to the solidarity of the Parisians on behalf of the Lebanese and Israeli people. It was in this context that he had gone to Jerusalem and to Northern Israel, where he had met with the Mayor of Haifa after having obtained a vote by the Paris City Council, as early as September, for grants to contribute to the renovation of health and social facilities in the region.

Bertrand Delanoë went on to deplore the situation in the Middle East, which he called “desperate”, adding that it was for him “the conflict that mattered most in the world, because it is the most urgent one to solve”. Insisting on the fact that this conflict serves as a pretext that feeds many others and serves the interests of the enemies of democracy, he considered that “totalitarian forces, be they secular or religious, need the Israel/Palestinian conflict to last because it serves their interests”. Adding that “despite the tensions, we should never accept a clash of civilizations as the only way”, Bertrand Delanoë insisted on the fact that “Israel is in a position of strength because even if its people are worried, they are conscious of the importance of peace”. Bertrand Delanoë traveled to Bethlehem last 25th of December. The Mayor of Paris said that he was convinced that “Mahmoud Abbas is a man who truly desires peace” but that he was facing “a radicalization of a part of the Palestinian population”. Nevertheless, the Mayor expressed his optimism for the future of the Palestinians who, being in contact with Israel, are “more used to democracy than the other peoples in the region”, adding that in his view “Hamas is just one more incident in the general context of the rise of Islamism”.

Speaking of the security wall, the Mayor of Paris said that he “understood the intentions behind the wall” but considered that it was not a “long-term solution”.

“I believe, like Yitzhak Rabin, that we have to combat terrorism as if there were no negotiations and negotiate as if there was no terrorism,” insisted Bertrand Delanoë, who indicated that he was hoping for a more regular dialogue between CRIF and the Paris City authorities. The next meeting is scheduled for September 2007.

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