Taking a look at France's anti-Israel policy over the years and the larger threat - opinion

While Israel continues to fight the axis of evil from Iran and the remnants of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, there are few countries that stand unequivocally by its side. 

France, which betrayed Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 by imposing a military embargo, continues with its familiar mantras. President Emmanuel Macron claims that without a military embargo on Israel, there will be no ceasefire. Perhaps it’s worth reminding Mr. Macron that France has hardly supplied Israel with military equipment for years, and his statement about an embargo is merely lip service to Lebanese and Muslim immigrants in his country, nothing more.

Macron’s directive to bar Israel from participating in the EUROSATORY and EURONAVAL exhibitions is nothing short of disgraceful. He is attempting to harm Israel’s weapons industry by imposing a boycott on Israeli companies, contrary to French law, which prohibits boycotts against economic entities. The French president may condemn violence (on both sides, of course), but he fails to understand that it is Iran, through Hezbollah, that has taken control of Lebanon and turned it into a living hell. 

Ceasing the fight against the terrorist organization after the blow and humiliation it suffered would allow it to recover and resume its grip on Lebanon, draining it dry as before. There is only one way to end the fighting and achieve a ceasefire: continuing to strike the head of the snake until its military is dismantled, it withdraws beyond the Litani River, and a security zone is established on the Lebanese side.

The token homage that Macron is forced to pay to the political Left doesn’t obscure the fact that France has already been conquered by immigrants. Lebanon is a member of L’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) – comprised of 88 French-speaking states and governments – but Macron forgets that this is not the Lebanon of 1943 when France detained Lebanese leaders to “restore order” in the country and was forced to release them under pressure from the great powers.

Lebanon gained independence in 1944, but France still sees itself as some kind of patron of the Land of the Cedars. France chooses to ignore the fact that Lebanon was conquered by Hezbollah, which for over 20 years has operated in the country as if it were its own. How can Macron not see that this murderous terrorist organization has turned Lebanon into a base for the destruction of Israel? Does the French president not realize that his own country is next in line?

Today, Israel is doing what France should have done: It is not allowing a murderous terrorist organization to take over Lebanon and destroy it.

Examining France's media, including state-run television 

A key element in the anti-Israel propaganda in France is the state-run television channel France 24. I recently watched the popular political program The World This Week, and was enraged by the lack of balance. The producers brought in anti-Israel, if not antisemitic, interviewees – ignorant and foolish people who have no understanding of history, and whose anti-Israel views are based on statements completely detached from reality.

In the guise of a diplomacy expert, France 24 senior editor Lola Jacinto claimed that the basis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was Israel’s refusal to establish a Palestinian state and agree to a ceasefire; and that the poor Palestinians genuinely want peace but Israel refuses to reach out. I was almost convinced. Until they began interviewing the “peace-loving mediator” Oliver McTernan, an Irish-born expert in peacebuilding and interfaith dialogue, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

As a “credible” commentator, it didn’t surprise me when McTernan revealed that, according to him, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began 75 years ago and stems from Israel’s refusal to reach a peaceful resolution, partly because of its continued occupation of Gaza. The ignorance of this Harvard research fellow is simply unbelievable. Mr. McTernan is clearly unaware that Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

How someone so uninformed and lacking in knowledge serves as an international conflict resolver and television commentator is a mystery. France 24 is trying to manipulate viewers’ minds and is fueling the rising antisemitism in France, just as are several British media outlets, such as Sky News and the BBC. They, too, choose to ignore the fact that there have been 20 attempted attacks in their country by Iran over the last two years.

The elimination of terrorist leaders (like Hassan Nasrallah and Yahya Sinwar) whose hands are stained with the blood of thousands of civilians (in Israel and abroad), along with the dismantling of Hamas and Hezbollah’s military forces, does not yet signify the complete defeat of these terror organizations. However, it proves to the countries in the region that Israel has regained its power of deterrence and will hold accountable each and every one of the despicable murderers who participated in the most horrific massacre since the state’s establishment.

It’s not just that France and other European countries support the imposition of a military embargo on Israel – most of which have never even supplied Israel with so much as a tank screw – but they also kowtow to the Palestinian immigrants living within their borders. 

Some South American countries gave refuge to Nazis fleeing Germany after World War II. Yet, South American leaders continue to blame all their countries’ woes on the rich “imperialist” United States, which supposedly doesn’t assist them – while conveniently forgetting the corruption that has become a way of life and a norm in most of their countries. Israel, seen in their eyes as a US satellite state, is tainted by the criticism. Recently, Nicaragua cut diplomatic ties with Israel.

Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo announced that the break in relations was due to “Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territories,” adding that “The Israeli government is fascist and committing genocide.” Nicaragua, led by President Daniel Ortega, is an ally of Iran. In recent years, it has become more and more isolated, after Ortega – often referred to as a dictator – violently suppressed protests against his government in 2018. According to human rights organizations, around 300 people were killed in those clashes.

MEANWHILE, AND unrelated, Claudia Sheinbaum, the newly elected Jewish president of Mexico, has expressed her support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Mexican press has been reporting on large protests across the country in recent days, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and calling for the severing diplomatic ties with Israel.

The great military success against terrorist organizations and the elimination of many of their leaders represent a game changer, placing Israel in a new position of power vis-à-vis the world and Iran. 

This is a rare opportunity to capitalize on the state’s military success and do everything, including offering far-reaching proposals to the terrorists, to secure the release of the remaining hostages and their return to their families.

The writer is CEO of Radios 100FM, honorary consul-general of Nauru, vice dean of the Consular Diplomatic Corps, president of the Israeli Radio Broadcasting Association, chairman of the Association of Regional Radio Stations, and vice president of the Ambassadors Club.