"To celebrate the holiday marking freedom in a place where French-Israeli citizen Gilad Shalit is detained since 3 years is an insult to the symbol of this national holiday and a provocation towards his family." The umbrella group of Jewish organizations in France, CRIF, said Wednesday it was "stunned" to learn that French diplomats at the Consulate in Jerusalem have planned to take part in a Bastille Day celebration, France’s national holiday, in Gaza.
"To celebrate the holiday marking freedom in a place where French-Israeli citizen Gilad Shalit is detained since 3 years is an insult to the symbol of this national holiday and a provocation towards his family," CRIF said in a statement.
Israel objected to France's plan to hold a Bastille Day celebration in Gaza particularly in light of the fact that Shalit, who was abducted in a 2006 cross-border raid, has dual French-Israeli citizenship. During a Bastille Day celebration at the French embassy in Tel Aviv, France’s ambassador Jean Michel Casa declared that Shalit must immediately be freed, a sentiment shared by President Nicolas Sarkozy. The French Consulate in East Jerusalem serves as liaison with the West Bank and has a small delegation in the Gaza Strip.
Source: article by Joseph Byron in EJP
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