“A shame.” For MP Thomas Portes, this gala must be “forbidden”. On Wednesday October 16, the elected official La France insoumise made public an alert letter addressed to the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, in which he asked him to “take the necessary measures” concerning a gala organized by the “Israel is Forever” association on November 13 in the capital.
This event, at 260 euros per place, is presented as “the mobilization of French-speaking Zionist forces in the service of the power and history of Israel”. For her part, MEP Rima Hassan calls on the “Parisians” : “This gala should not be held! Get involved!”
At the origin, in particular, of their indignation: the announced presence, during this event, of the Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich. Figure of the religious extreme right in the country, ardent defender, for a long time, of the colonization enterprise, Bezalel Smotrich is part of the radical and ultranationalist wing of the coalition of the Netanyahu government, installed at the end of 2022. Very recently, on October 16, he was the subject of a warning from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The latter indicated that he “was examining” the possibility of a sanction against Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli Minister of National Security and leader of the far-right Jewish Force party, another ultra-radical face of the Netanyahu government. Possible sanctions on British soil, which follow the comments (qualified “obviously odious comments” by Starmer) of Smotrich indicating that he was “morally justified” to starve Gazan civilians, and Ben Gvir, calling violent settlers “hero”. To Starmer, both replied that “the days of the British Mandate [sur la région, ndlr] were finished”.
In January, these two men took part in a rally in Jerusalem to demand the recolonization of Gaza, also in the presence of Yossi Dagan, president of the Samaria regional council. An event condemned by the Quai d’Orsay, saying “expect a clear denunciation of these positions from the Israeli authorities”. And to specify rejecting the idea of “any new Israeli colonization in Gaza as well as any form of transfer of the Palestinian population”.
An Arte documentary, broadcast in September, describes these two figures as “do you minister chaos” and looks back on their journey. He recalls in particular that Bezalel Smotrich was arrested by the Shin Belt – the internal security service – in 2005 (at the time of the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip), when he was 24 years old. He was suspected of preparing violent action ahead of the military intervention aimed at dislodging Israeli families from the enclave. What the principal concerned has always denied.
“Hamas is our chance”
Later, Smotrich founded “Regavim,” an organization that fights against Palestinian construction in the West Bank. In 2015, recalls the Arte documentary, he publicly assured that he “you have to think” to support Hamas or send it money, because “on the international scene, in the game of delegitimization, the Palestinian Authority is a burden and Hamas an asset,” Hamas being “a terrorist organization” what “no one will recognize”. In the same vein, he declares, before October 7, 2023, that “Hamas is our chance”. Supporter of the recolonization of Gaza, which he presents as coming from divine will, he likes to define himself, in a private recording made public, as a “homophobic fascist”.
Note that Smotrich has already distinguished himself in Paris, on March 19, 2023, during a memorial service for Jacques Kupfer. Died in 2021, this Likud member was the creator of the “Israel is Forever” association. Bezalel Smotrich then declared from the podium that “Palestinians do not exist because the Palestinian people do not exist”, and that “the Palestinian people are an invention of less than a hundred years ago.” These remarks then caused an international stir.
“No innocent civilian population in Gaza”
In his alert to the prefect, Thomas Portes also highlights the profile of Nili Kupfer-Naouri, lawyer, president of the “Israel is Forever” association, and daughter of Jacques Kupfer. In January, she indicated, with supporting photos, that she was with other activists at the Nitzana crossing, on the Egyptian border, in order to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza. “It is immoral to pass these trucks while our hostages are still in the hands of the Gazans,” she declared. Demonstrations which have in fact considerably slowed down the delivery of aid.
Since March, she has also been active within the Lekh Lekha “collective Aliyah program”, the aim of which is to organize the arrival of French Jewish families in Israel and the West Bank settlements, notably in Tal Menashe and Alon Shvut. .
In his letter, the LFI elected official believes that Nili Kupfer-Naouri “has made, on several occasions, comments that could constitute offenses under both national and international law, particularly in terms of glorifying war crimes and crimes against humanity”. And claims to have contacted the Paris public prosecutor (via article 40 of the code of criminal procedure) on this subject.
It refers in particular to an intervention, dated October 26, 2023, in the show Morandini Live on CNews, where Nili Kupfer-Naouri was a guest and where she said, regarding Gazan civilians: “It should also be noted that the allies, at the time of the Second World War, understood that the civilian populations were also responsible. […] The civilian population put Hamas in power knowing full well what its program was, that is to say the extermination of Israel. […] Go see the Hamas demonstrations, there are one-year-old children dressed in Hamas colors. […] There is education from birth for hatred of the Jew in schools, from kindergarten, they learn how to organize a commando to attack Jewish villages and to kill Jews. I don’t know if you heard the recording of a terrorist calling from the phone of one of the Jewish women he murdered and he was proud to show his parents that he had murdered ten Jews. And his parents supported him and asked him to continue. That’s the civilian population. So excuse me, but there is no innocent civilian population in Gaza.” To which Jean-Marc Morandini responds: “Ah no, pff… It’s complicated to say that there is no innocent civilian population in Gaza when you have children, women, it’s not audible…”
These comments, according to Thomas Portes, were the subject of a warning from Arcom. That CheckNews is able to confirm. The audiovisual policeman sent us a decision from January considering that in this broadcast, on October 26, 2023, “the comments made by one of the speakers incited hatred and encouraged discriminatory behavior against the civilian population of Gaza”. And to continue: “Arcom considered that if these comments had provoked reactions from the presenter of the show and other speakers present on set, [elles] had not been opposed with sufficient firmness. Consequently, the Authority firmly asked the publisher of the service to ensure compliance with the obligations of its agreement.”
“No more barbaric neighbors”
In March, Thomas Portes also isolated a sequence broadcast by Studio Qualita (a media outlet aimed at Jewish immigrants in Israel). In this case, an interview where Nili Kupfer-Naouri assured: “We no longer want barbaric neighbors, we understand that we must obtain our security and that is through mass emigration of Arabs from Gaza and Jewish settlement.”
The deputy clarifies with CheckNews not having received any action from the Paris prosecutor’s office regarding these reports. When requested, the prosecution indicated that it was investigating but has not yet provided any information regarding these referrals.
Requested several times, the “Israel is Forever” association did not respond. On social networks, Nili Kupfer-Naouri indicated, in reaction to the positions of LFI elected officials: “Some, like Rima Hassan, Thomas Portes and Taha Bouhafs, would like to ban the Israel is Forever gala. The power of Israel disturbs them, the Zionist Jewish voice disturbs them, the strength of Jews proud of their identity shakes them. Our answer is clear: no one will make the Jewish community of France give in!”
Neither the Quai d’Orsay nor the Paris police headquarters responded to CheckNews concerning the coming to France of Minister Bezalel Smotrich. According to our information, at this time, no response has been made to MP Thomas Portes following his letter.
