It will take place, despite the controversies. The “Israel is Forever” gala, organized by far-right Franco-Israeli personalities, will be held on Wednesday November 13 in Paris, on the eve of the France-Israel football match. This event, the location of which is kept secret, is presented by its organizers as “the mobilization of French-speaking Zionist forces in the service of the power and history of Israel”. His organization provoked an outcry from part of the political class, but also from several unions and associations.
Why such opposition? Firstly because the gala, entry to which costs 260 euros, is organized by far-right personalities. The “Israel is Forever” association, founded by Jacques Kupfer, a radical Zionist activist, is today chaired by his daughter, lawyer Nili Kupfer-Naouri, member of Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu's party. In December 2023, she notably sparked a controversy by considering that there was no “no innocent civilian population in Gaza” in a post on X.
But the controversy arose above all from the promise of the presence of Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The 44-year-old finance minister is known for his extreme positions. In 2015, he declared “proud homophobe” by opposing equal marriage, reports The Parisian. He is part “from the radical and supremacist wing of the government coalition” by Benyamin Netanyahu, underlines Le Figaro.
During a speech in Paris in 2023, he even estimated that “Palestinians do not exist.”. Last August, Bezalel Smotrich defended the blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Himself a settler, he affirmed during a speech before the Israeli Parliament on Monday that “the creation of a Palestinian state (…) would endanger the existence of the State of Israel” and that “the only way to eliminate this threat (…) is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements of Judea and Samaria”the biblical name for the occupied West Bank.
Despite the organizers' promise, the presence of the member of the Israeli government is not guaranteed. “At this stage, I have no confirmation of his coming to France”replied the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, to RFI on Tuesday. Later in the day, a spokesperson for Bezalel Smotrich told AFP that“no trip to Paris was planned”. However, it cannot be ruled out that he will participate virtually.
The announcement of the gala provoked the anger of several organizations, including the Human Rights League and the CGT. In a press release published on November 4, they denounced a “gala of hatred and shame”whose outfit “would constitute an insult to international law.. An opinion shared by several left-wing deputies, including Thomas Portes, elected LFI from Seine-Saint-Denis. “France cannot accept the presence of a war criminal on its soil”he wrote on X in mid-October, adding that he had asked the Paris police chief, Laurent Nuñez, to cancel the event.
The latter did not follow up, judging that the gala did not present a risk of disturbance to public order “important”he said on Wednesday on RTL. Same story with the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, who spoke on the subject on TF1 Tuesday evening. Seized by the Coordination of Calls for a Just Peace in the Middle East EuroPalestine, “justice ruled in favor of our police chief who did not ban this demonstration, any more than we are going to ban other demonstrations which will be opposed”he explained, in reference to a decision of the Paris administrative court dated November 8.
In reaction to the continuation of the event, a demonstration launched at the initiative of political parties (LFI, EELV, NPA) and associations is organized on Wednesday evening. It will take place between Saint-Lazare station and Place de la République in Paris. Other organizations, including SOS Racisme, plan to gather in the 8th arrondissement of the capital.
A counter-demonstration, in support of the gala, is also expected. The right-wing Jewish Betar movement, which has numerous branches around the world and counts radical members among its ranks, plans to rally alongside the French Jewish Student Movement. The location and time are unknown at this stage.
