A gala that arouses controversy. The “Israel is Forever” support event, organized by far-right Franco-Israeli personalities, is to be held this Wednesday evening in Paris on the eve of the France-Israel football match and a week after the violence in Amsterdam . This event is presented by its organizers as “the mobilization of French-speaking Zionist forces in the service of the power and history of Israel”. Why is this evening controversial?
What is “Israel is Forever”?
This association, founded by Jacques Kupfer, a radical Zionist activist, is today chaired by his daughter, the lawyer Nili Kupfer-Naouri. According to The Cross“this has already been accused by several La France insoumise deputies of relaying the propaganda of the Israeli extreme right in France, or of having participated in operations to block humanitarian aid to Gaza”. Nili Kupfer-Naouri also sparked controversy by declaring in particular after the October 7 attacks on Cnews that “there was no innocent civilian population in Gaza”.
Why is the gala controversial?
Pro-Palestinian associations, unions and French left-wing parties rebelled against the holding of this event and the announced presence of the far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich who embodies, according to them, “the figure of the most fanatical religious Zionism” but also “racism and hatred”. A spokesperson for the Israeli minister told AFP on Tuesday that “no trip to Paris was planned”. It is not excluded that he will participate virtually. France denounced in March 2023 the “irresponsible” comments of this Israeli Finance Minister who had denied the existence of Palestinians as individuals and as a people during an evening organized by the same association in Paris.
On the sidelines of the gala, the right-wing Jewish movement Betar, which has numerous branches around the world and counts radical members in its ranks, plans to rally alongside the French Jewish Student Movement. The location and time are unknown at this stage. In reaction to this gala, several associations are calling for a mobilization on Wednesday.
Why wasn’t the party banned?
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez has not banned this gala, which does not present a “significant” risk of public order disturbances, he said on RTL on Wednesday. Seized by a pro-Palestinian coordination, “justice ruled in favor of our police prefect who did not prohibit this demonstration, any more than we are going to prohibit other demonstrations which will be opposed”, justified the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau Tuesday evening on TF1.
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