Assaf Moran, minister plenipotentiary of the Israeli embassy in France, was in Nice this Monday and Tuesday, invited to the annual dinner of Crif Sud-Est (representative council of Jewish institutions in France). An event in honor of the police, in the presence of Othman Nasrou, Secretary of State responsible for citizenship and the fight against discrimination.
During your visit, did you meet the grandmother from Nice of little Eitan, 12 years old, a Hamas hostage released a year ago? His son-in-law is still in the hands of Hamas.
“We organized a meeting at the embassy in Paris with the Yahalomi family this week. The father, Ohad, a Franco-Israeli, is in fact still in the hands of Hamas, as is another Franco-Israeli, Ofer Kalderon. We hope they come home very soon. We are in regular contact with the families. We previously met them on October 7, 2024.
Do you have any news from them? Do you know if they are still alive?
Unfortunately no, we don't know. The war continues in Gaza and we are doing everything we can to save the hostages. This is the primary goal of this war: to free all the hostages. 417 days have passed since October 7, 2023. It is a very difficult reality for these families who do not know if their husband, their father, their son is alive today.
Nice has been the scene of numerous demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people. What does this mobilization inspire you?
It's very natural to demonstrate, to criticize Israel. On the other hand, it is not acceptable to call for the annihilation of Israel as was the case during the demonstrations relaying the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. It is not acceptable to deny the State and the right of return of the Jewish people.
Since October 7, 2023, anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in France, as in the Alpes-Maritimes. What does this observation inspire you?
France is not anti-Semitic. But there is anti-Semitism in France. Even more so since October 7, 2023. The French authorities protect the Jewish community and our team at the embassy, and we thank them for that. The latest Crif poll revealed that 12% of French people believe it is a good thing that France's Jews are leaving the country. This is a worrying figure, but it is not the majority of French people.
A collective asks the mayor of Nice to remove the Israeli flags from the front of the town hall on the grounds that Nice must not support a state whose head of government is being prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. What do you think?
First of all, we thank the mayor of Nice for his support. Second, the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu is an anti-Israeli political decision aimed at compromising Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens as our country wages an existential war. against terrorism. It is an arbitrary decision in relentless attack against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, in the face of real war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and by Hamas against the Palestinian population. It is an attempt to isolate Israel on the international stage. It is a dangerous decision that serves the axis of evil in the ideological and political conflict that is consuming the international community.
Is the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon a matter of time?
We have achieved our military objective in Lebanon. Now the time has come to sign a ceasefire agreement. We hope that on the other side, this agreement and all its clauses will be respected. Otherwise, Israel will maintain its right to defend itself. Contrary to what some people around the world think, Israel does not seek to continue endless war. Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbors.”
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