French President Emmanuel Macron openly stood against Amnesty International’s and other human rights groups’ description of Israel as an apartheid state.
The Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions is an umbrella organization of other groups representing the interests of French Jews. Its annual dinner is usually attended by the French President, but due to an important meeting, President Macron was unable to attend this year. Nevertheless, his speech was delivered by Prime Minister Jean Castex, reports The Jerusalem Post.
“I am concerned about the United Nation’s resolution on Jerusalem, which continues to deliberately and against all evidence remove Jewish terminology from the Temple Mount. […] Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, I have never stopped saying that. This in no way precludes recognizing and respecting the attachment of other religions to this city…”.
“Erasing Jerusalem’s Jewishness is unacceptable, just as it is unacceptable that in the name of a just fight for freedom, associations misuse historically shameful terms to describe the State of Israel.”
“How dare we talk about apartheid in a state where Arab citizens are represented in government, in parliament, in leadership positions and in positions of responsibility?”
Castex added in the name of the president that the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism has been adopted by the Republic.
In the speech, President Macron claims that the fight against antisemitism is a European matter, adding that “France has chosen to make the fight against racism and antisemitism one of its major priorities for its Presidency of the Union”.
Photo credit: Jacques Paquier
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