European Coalition for Israel on working visit to Paris

European Coalition for Israel on working visit to Paris

"... groups like European Coalition for Israel, which sees it as its duty to speak out on issues relating to the security of the state of Israel and the Jewish people in ways that are in direct contrast with the failures of previous generations in Europe to do so."

"The French EU-presidency, which starts today on Tuesday 1 July, wants to send a strong message to any state or terrorist organization which threatens to attack Israel. "Those who call for the destruction of Israel will always find France blocking their path." This message was repeated several times during French president Nikolas Sarkozy’s state visit to Israel last week and was also confirmed to a small delegation of the European Coalition for Israel, which met privately with an adviser close to the president last week in Paris.

During the meeting in the president’s office, ECI reminded the French EU presidency of the ongoing incitement to hatred that can be found both in the Palestinian media and in their school books.

"If there is ever to be peace in the Middle East, then peace and respect has to be thought in the school and be supported by media and civil society.", said ECI board member Harald Eckert, who was part of the small delegation. The French adviser agreed and promised to look in to the matter to ensure that no EU tax money is spent on hindering the peace process, but is instead spent to promote peace.

The European Coalition for Israel noted with great satisfaction that the current French government has been making history by reassuring its friendship with the Jewish state. The French president has been crystal clear in ensuring that the planned UN Conference on Racism, which is to be held in Geneva in April, 2009, will not be turned in to another scandalous attack on Israel and the Jewish people. If the European Union cannot get a clear guarantee that this will not be the case the EU will withdraw its support for the UN conference. Despite increasing support from several EU-member states for direct talks with the terrorist organization Hamas, the French presidency is not backing off: "there can not be any talks with Hamas before it denounces violence and recognizes Israel’s right of existence."

France has been just as clear in denouncing the Iranian leader Ahmadinjead and has stated that “a nuclear Iran is totally unacceptable.”

Commending the French EU-presidency for its strong stand on these issues of vital importance for the security of the state of Israel, the delegation nevertheless reminded the presidency on the fact that this July will mark the 70th anniversary of the Evian conference which sealed the fate of the 6 million Jews which were killed in the Holocaust.

"The lessons from Evian are obvious; appeasement and compromise can never give a foundation for true peace. When the world community again tries to find a solution to the Middle East conflict it will have to keep this in mind, said Founding Director Tomas Sandell when commenting on a speech given in the Knesset by President Sarkozy where he had stated that “there can be no peace for Israel without sharing Jerusalem as the capital and without giving up its present settlements in the West Bank."

The meetings in Paris were successful and promised a close relationship between the current EU-presidency and civil society groups like European Coalition for Israel, which sees it as its duty to speak out on issues relating to the security of the state of Israel and the Jewish people in ways that are in direct contrast with the failures of previous generations in Europe to do so.
The delegation visiting Paris consisted of Chairman Helmut Specht, Board Member Harald Eckert and Founding Director Tomas Sandell."