Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu made his first visit to France under Francois Hollande, but his arrival was not warmly received by more than a thousand demonstrators.
Hollande continued to oppose Israel’s desire for war on Iran, but Hollande is also spearheading the West’s anti-Iranian sanctions campaign.
Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is only for civilian uses.
There is some uncertainty regarding Hollande’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many fear that Nicolas Sarkozy may have permanently shifted France into a militantly pro-Israeli mindset.
At the United Nations next month France is expected to abstain in the vote for upgraded observer status for Palestine, but senior Palestinian officials hope to change Hollande’s mind at an upcoming meeting in Paris.
President Hollande will follow Netanyahu to the city of Toulouse, where the two will pay homage to the four Jewish victims of the Mohammed Merah killings last March. Many are upset that Hollande will not give a similar tribute to the three soldiers with Muslim and Caribbean backgrounds who were also killed.
AN