Almost thirty years after Jacques Chirac's eventful visit to Jerusalem in 1996, the tone of the French right has evolved towards more assertive support for Israel. Consequence of the change in geopolitical context or transformation linked to domestic political considerations?
The incident immediately brought to mind another. On November 7, traveling to Jerusalem, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, denounced a “unacceptable situation” after Israeli police entered “armed” et “without permission” within Éléona, one of the French national domains in the Holy Land. A scene which echoes Jacques Chirac's memorable outburst in 1996.
That year, on a diplomatic visit, the president also demanded that Israeli soldiers leave the Sainte-Anne church, another place managed by France, a few minutes after having told the security service of the Hebrew state, which framed him a little too closely in the street, his famous “ You want me to take my plane and to go back to France ? ». A cult replica, delivered with an accent that would cut with a knife, quickly became the symbol of the international policy of Jacques Chirac, known to be close to Arab leaders.
“Change in form and substance”
France
