France didn’t want Netanyahu, Abbas at Paris rally: Report
13 Jan 2015 1:13 AM GMT
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas had their closest encounter in years on Sundaywhen they joined world leaders to march against terrorism in Paris after 17 people were killed in three days of attacks. Wary that the unity march against terror could get entangled in diversionary issues like Jewish-Muslim divide or Israel- Palestinian conflict, the French government wanted to keep both Netanyahu and Abbas out of the solidarity show.
Israel’s Channel 2 earlier reported the French Foreign Ministry preferred that Netanyahu would not join the march because “his arrival could raise difficulties”. Ha’aretz Online later in a report claimed that French president Francois Hollande even conveyed a message to the Israeli Prime Minister over the weekend asking him not to come for the march, citing an Israeli source who was privy to the contacts between the Elysees Palace and the PMO here.
Hollande’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Jacques Audibert reportedly contacted his Israeli counterpart Yossi Cohen and said that the French President would prefer that Netanyahu not attend, the source was quoted as saying. Audibert is said to have explained that Hollande wanted the event to focus on demonstrating solidarity with France and to avoid anything liable to divert attention to other controversial issues, like Jewish-Muslim relations or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
French NSA had expressed hopes the Israel premier would understand the difficulties his arrival might pose. One of the French concerns which was not conveyed to representatives of the Israeli government was that Netanyahu might take advantage of the event for election campaign purposes.
Israel’s Channel 2 earlier reported the French Foreign Ministry preferred that Netanyahu would not join the march because “his arrival could raise difficulties”. Ha’aretz Online later in a report claimed that French president Francois Hollande even conveyed a message to the Israeli Prime Minister over the weekend asking him not to come for the march, citing an Israeli source who was privy to the contacts between the Elysees Palace and the PMO here.
Hollande’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Jacques Audibert reportedly contacted his Israeli counterpart Yossi Cohen and said that the French President would prefer that Netanyahu not attend, the source was quoted as saying. Audibert is said to have explained that Hollande wanted the event to focus on demonstrating solidarity with France and to avoid anything liable to divert attention to other controversial issues, like Jewish-Muslim relations or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
French NSA had expressed hopes the Israel premier would understand the difficulties his arrival might pose. One of the French concerns which was not conveyed to representatives of the Israeli government was that Netanyahu might take advantage of the event for election campaign purposes.
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