Sharon Called Unwelcome in France Following His Warning to Its Jews

Outraged over Prime Minister Sharon’s call for French Jews facing anti-Semitism to leave the country, French officials said yesterday the Israeli leader is no longer welcome in the country.Striking back a day after Mr. Sharon portrayed France as a country where Jews aren’t safe, French officials said Mr. Sharon would not be invited to meet with President Chirac until he explains why he urged French Jews to “immediately” move to Israel.While Israel hoped to downplay Mr. Sharon’s warning on Sunday to French Jews, who are facing a rising tide of anti-Semitism, France’s anger appears to be growing.“Following Mr. Sharon’s remarks, France has called for explanations,” a spokesman at the Elysee Palace told reporters.The official said, “[A] possible visit to Paris by the Israeli prime minister, for which no date has been set, would be examined only when the explanations requested have been provided.”Israeli officials sought to portray Mr. Sharon’s message to French Jews not as a dire warning but as a typical call for Jewish immigration that Israeli leaders often make.“If I have to advocate to our brothers in France, I would tell them one thing: Move to Israel, as early as possible,” Mr. Sharon, before the United Jewish Communities in Jerusalem, said in response to a question about anti-Semitism in France, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.Mr. Sharon said, “We see the spread of the wildest anti-Semitism there,” and called on Jews to move “immediately.”A spokesman at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., Mark Regev, said it is common for Israeli leaders addressing Diaspora Jewish audiences to ask Jews to consider immigrating to Israel. “This is part of the Zionist ethos,” he said.He said Mr. Sharon “was expressing his concern as to the rampant anti-Semitism that we have unfortunately seen and suggesting that French Jews also consider the possibility of emigrating to Israel.”Mr. Regev pointed out that Mr. Sharon’s speech emphasized the importance of Jews making aliya (moving to Israel). “The future of Israel depends, first of all, on aliya to Israel,” Mr. Sharon said, according to a translated text of the speech.A spokeswoman for the French Embassy in Washington, Natalie Loiseau, said France would set a date for Mr. Sharon’s visit once he explains his comments. She said Mr. Sharon’s comments were clearly different than an ordinary call for Jewish immigration.“He basically called for the immediate immigration of all French Jews because they were facing anti-Semitism,” she said. “And he also mentioned the French Muslim community. All of this is unusual.”In a country where the problem of anti-Semitism is a sensitive political issue, and one French officials have vowed to resolve, Mr. Sharon’s comments struck a nerve and have captured the public’s attention.France’s reaction was the lead story in Le Monde newspaper, which published an editorial about Mr. Sharon’s warning to French Jews. “What is Sharon trying to gain?” asked the editorial.France is home to between 600,000 and 1 million Jews, the third largest Jewish population in the world. France experienced a surge of anti-Semitism, mostly committed by its large Muslim population, in October 2000 in reaction to the Palestinian intifada against Israel.The violence against Jews has included stabbings, firebombing of synagogues in several French cities, and the desecration of Jewish graveyards.More than 2,000 Jews immigrated to Israel from France in both 2002 and 2003, double the rate of the previous three years. France has about 6 million Muslims, a population that is rapidly growing and is disproportionately young and poor.Mr. Chirac and other French leaders have repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism and have passed laws that stiffen penalties for racist acts. They have also deployed extra police to protect Jewish sites and have created a special police unit in Paris that monitors complaints.According to government statistics, the number of physical acts against French Jews – incidents such as vandalism, arson, and violent attacks – was 135 in the first half of 2004, surpassing 2003’s total.Critics of the French government say French courts have shown an unwillingness to convict those charged with attacks on Jews.They also claim France implicitly encourages anti-Semitism through its harsh stances on Israel. France has condemned Israel for constructing the West Bank barrier that Israel says will protect it from Palestinian Arab terrorism.

Sharon Called Unwelcome in France Following His Warning to Its Jews

More from the New York Sun

Injuries, Politics, Ebola, and Ticket Madness Shadow World Cup Preparations

The Trump Encyclical

After Stinging Defeat, Massie Files for 2028 Congressional Run, Hints He Has Eyes on White House

Rubio, in India, Hopes To Revive ‘Quad Four’ With Japan, Australia as Counterweight to China

Japan Tests Hypersonic Jet Capable of Flying From New York to Tokyo in Less Than Two Hours

PG&E Nemesis Erin Brockovich Tilts at New Windmill — Energy-Intensive AI Data Centers

Indiana J6er Who ‘Destroyed Nothing, Protected Police’ Makes Case for Anti-Weaponization Payout

Pope Leo XIV Asks ‘Pardon’ for Vatican’s Role in Trans-Atlantic Slavery