France’s foreign minister single-handedly torpedoed a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 nations in Geneva this weekend. A deal was in place. The American and Russian foreign ministers had flown in in order to sign it. But Laurent Fabius announced that the terms weren’t punitive enough and didn’t satisfy France. So everyone went home and no deal was announced. The parties will meet again and attempt to nail things down then.
As a result of France’s heroic actions in standing up to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Francois Hollande, who will visit Israel this week, has had his visit officially upgraded. He will get the unusual honor of addressing the Knesset (without being heckled by the far-right settler MKs).
There are several ways of reading this. Either France has, after originally helping Israel become a nuclear state in the 1950s, returned to its former role of being Israel’s enabler; or there’s a Kabuki performance going on in which the U.S. is playing the good-cop to France’s bad cop. This enables the U.S. to be seen positively by the Iranians and France to be seen positively by Israel. In that sense, the hardliners in both countries are somewhat soothed, while everyone lives to meet another day and come to an agreement then.
On a related matter, every year there’s a meeting of the American Jewish communal élite called the General Assembly. Bibi Netanyahu invariably travels to lecture the assembled multitude on proper pro-Israel etiquette on some issue of moment. The audience obediently gives him a standing ovation and then returns to whatever they were doing beforehand. Then they return home and the leadership changes nothing in the Jewish heartland (except that Jews there grow increasingly disenchanted with their leaders as the Pew Center poll shows).
Bibi’s lecture today was especially insulting and virulent:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did his utmost to rally North American Jewry behind his uncompromising stand on Iran, calling on them Sunday night to stand with him in opposition to the deal under discussion in the Geneva forum.
It is a “bad and dangerous deal” that threatens Israel’s survival and “on matters of Jewish survival, I will not be silenced,” Netanyahu said.
…He reminded them that the purpose of the “crippling” international sanctions that “brought Iran to its knees” had been “to get Iran to dismantle – dismantle – its nuclear enrichment capabilities, which are used for atomic bombs, and its heavy water plutonium reactor, which is also used for atomic bombs.”
…The premier said it was obvious why Iran was seeking a nuclear deal with the six world powers. “Because the sanctions are biting, crippling their regime…What is being proposed now is a deal where Iran retains all of its capacity, not one centrifuge is dismantled, not one.”
Iran, he noted, would “get to keep tons of enriched uranium and they can take these centrifuges which are not dismantled underground … and, within a few weeks or months and at the time of their choosing, the fissile material can be used for a bomb,” Netanyahu said.
He added that “Iran does not give up anything of that. It makes a minor concession that is meaningless with today’s technology and with current capacities. In other words, none of the Security Council resolution which the P5+1 powers passed are met. But what is being given to them is the beginning of the rollback of sanctions.”
Netanyahu, who was greeted by a standing ovation when he stood to speak, said he would not rest until Iran’s nukes were “dismantled” and challenged the assembled GA participants to “speak up” – not only for Israel’s security but for their own. It won’t be long before Iran builds missiles with the capability to reach the United States, he noted, and they could carry nuclear weapons, should it achieve that capacity.
“Do you want that?” he asked the crowd, which responded, with an emphatic “No!”
“So do something about it,” he shot back.
There is at least one positive result of the Pew poll I referred to above. Those thousands of Jewish leaders who cheered Bibi on represent an increasingly isolated element of American Jews. The majority of our community actually opposes Bibi on this and supports the deal being brokered by the Obama administration. The farther Bibi and the pro-Israel lobby goes out on a limb on this subject, the less credibility they all have among us.
So I say to Howard Kohr, David Harris, Abe Foxman and the rest of ’em–keep it up. Support Bibi to the hilt. The more enthusiastic you are, the shorter the lives of your organizations and your leadership of them will be.
Bibi told his audience that stopping Iran was a matter of “Jewish survival.” This is one of my pet bugaboos and I’m glad he brought it up. While he may be the elected prime minister of the State of Israel, that does not equal ‘the Jewish people.’ Bibi leads the 6 million Jews of Israel, but he doesn’t lead a single Jew outside that country and has no right to speak for me or any other Diaspora Jew. Allowing him to speak for all Jews in the world only furthers the notion advanced by some anti-Zionists and anti-Semites that there is no difference between the two. Isn’t it interesting that Bibi Netanyahu, in this, makes common cause with such an unsavory lot?
Just bad faith by France’s Hollande by mouth of FM Fabius. Hollande was the last man left standing ready to attack Syria the moment President Obama called off the aerial assault. On Lebanon and Syria the interests of old-colonial power are aligned with the Saudis and Israel. France seeks to be rewarded by Prince Bandar with huge military contracts and by King Abdullah for nuclear power plants similar to the UAE contract for Aréva.
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) greeted Fabius’s stunt with “Thank God for France!” on CNN. Sen. John McCain tweeted: “Viva La France!“
Looked at my inbox and saw “France torpedoes Iran Nuclear
What is this? instantly going to post – phew, of relief!
Split second, wondering had France gone nuts. No joking here, that would be serious.
Read more, when I am alert, more. Thank you for report.
@ jg: Sorry about that! Didn’t mean to frighten you unnecessarily.
ibi leads the 6 million Jews of Israel, but he doesn’t lead a single Jew outside that country and has no right to speak for me or any other Diaspora Jew. Allowing him to speak for all Jews in the world only furthers the notion advanced by some anti-Zionists and anti-Semites that there is no difference between the two.
The Times of Israel tells: ‘Israel will attack Iran if you sign the deal, French MP told Fabius’. That French MP is Meyer Habib, a friend of Netanyahu. Meyer Habib is Jewish and also a Israeli citizen. Video where Netanyahu is promoting Habib as a candidate for the French elections. Notice the flags on the background. There are hardly doubts where this French MP’s main loyalty is. It would be a major scandal if French Muslim Parliament candidates would do the same. Having several passports and some Islamic hardline president/king/dictator openly supporting him on video with his flags on the background. If French see Israel “behind” Meyer Habib is not anti-Semitism neither anti-Israel. It would not be a new Dreyfus affair.
France has lost huge sums and jobs with these Iran sanctions. Especially the French car industry, which had a very strong position in Iran.
There are plenty of Jews outside Israel who do not see Israel as their “central authority” and are understandably offended when it is claimed. But there are plenty of those Jews who see it and act in favor of Israeli interests even in cases where their own country’s and Israel’s interests are in conflict. Israel’s ability to influence and even use local Jewish communities, organizations and individuals can not be erased from the reality because some (=many) do not approve such “link”.
Meyer Habib is clearly an “Israel-firster”. He used to be the official Likud spokesperson in France, he’s the vice-president of CRIF (the French equivalent to AIPAC). He was elected this summer in a race against another Israeli-firster, Valerie Hoffenberg, former director of the American Jewish Committee as the election last year of another French-Israeli was invalidated. France has 8 representatives from abroad in the Parliament, and the circonscription including Israel is always a fight between French-Israelis, so there’s nothing hidden about Meyer’s affiliations. It’s much worse that the ghostwriter of François Hollande’s speeches is a member of the CRIF too, something that was revealed recently.
There’s a great video on the net: Habib Meyer clashing with Shlomo Sand (in French) on a direct night show “Chez Taddei”. Meyer is defending Israel as the State of all Jews in the world, and Shlomo Sand Israel as the State of all it’s citizens. Sand says he’s fed up with Jews such as Meyer living in Paris considering Israel their secondary home whereas his Palestinian friends born in Israel are considered second-class citizens.
Breaking news from Tehran this morning …
Alain Gresh, director of Le Monde Diplomatique (not related to Le Monde which used to be an outstanding newspaper), posted an article on his blog “Les Nouvelles d’Orient” last night. He explains that the Quai d’Orsay (the place where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is situated) is now full of people who know nothing about Iran, people who consider Iran as the Evil incarnated and who are close to the American neoconservatives, and that these people were in fact taken by surprise by the election of Barack Obama that they have criticized since his election for being too weak on Iran.
Gresh also states that France in recent years has only distanced itself from the US from the right (cf. Syria). There a new film out “Quai d’Orsay” (that I haven’t seen) but apparently it’s about Dominique de Villepin, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gresh (and lots of other Frenchmen) consider his historic speech at the UN against the war on Iraq to be the last great moment in French international history (I paraphrase by memory).
Alain Gresh on blog “Les Nouvelles d’Orient” –
Nucléaire iranien, la France s’oppose à une solution
○ Film “Quai d’Orsay” Trailer
Richard.
Your articles suggests a quid pro quo, but Hollande wasn’t ‘rewarded’ with anything.
Hollande is free to address the Knesset or not. He chooses not to, same as Obama didn’t.
There was no ‘upgrade’. Where in your link does it show an ‘upgrade’, much less a ‘reward’?
Please.
Using the words of Secretary Kerry:
We are “not blind, and I don’t think we’re stupid” to know what’s behind media propaganda. Neither Hollande nor Obama would set a step in the Israeli Knesset when an hostile reception is waiting. PM Netanyahu and RW cohorts had expected Romney.
@ Pip: Very few foreign officials are offered an address before the Knesset. The last I can remember is George Bush. So the offer is a reward for Hollande’s carrying water for Israel in the Iran negotiation, just as Bush was beloved because he carried water for Israel. I have not heard that Hollande declined the invitation nor did I ever hear that Obama declined. At least some of your alleged facts here are wrong.
Nay, nay, Sir.
“Previous French presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac gave speeches at the Knesset, and Hollande was scheduled to do so as well, but he canceled ”
“US President Barack Obama, on his visit here, also chose to address students and not the Knesset”
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Edelstein-declares-French-president-persona-non-grata-in-Knesset-330151
@ Pip: As I said, addressing the Knesset is a rare reward bestowed on those who have done special service to Israel. As I recall, Israel didn’t offer Obama a Knesset address. Besides, he would’ve received catcalls from the rightist thugs in Knesset had he addressed it.
No Richard. Hollande’s invite was made before he scuttled this deal with Iran; which scuttling has probably more to do with Saudi Arabian money then with Israel.
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1522974
No Richard, Obama was invited.
“The Prime Minister’s Bureau and a long list of Knesset members told the White House they would like the speech to be given in the Knesset. ”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-forgoes-knesset-address-opts-to-speak-before-israeli-students-instead.premium-1.507795
MK speaker Edelstein: French president Hollande uninvited to address the Knesset. So what changed since October 30th for a red carpet treatment of Hollande? 🙂 one word: submission.
Jerusalem Post – Edelstein declares French president persona non grata in Knesset.
On this Veteran’s day in the U.S. let us not forget Iran’s support for insurgents in Iraq and in Afghanistan and the many lives of NATO soldiers lost to explosive devices supplied by Iran. Should France simply forgive and forget her sons maimed and killed in Afghanistan
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/actualites/afghanistan-inspection-du-theatre-par-le-chef-d-etat-major-des-armees
Iran has done everything in it’s power to make the west pay dearly for it’s intervention in the M.E.
Has not the Iranian support for Assad in Syria merely prolonged the suffering of the Syrian people.
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21589431-bringing-end-conflicts-within-states-vexatious-history-provides-guide
Iran has invested considerable resources to make life in the M.E. difficult for Israel,either by supporting groups hostile to Israel
in neighboring countries/territories or by attacking Israelis and Jews throughout the world (through proxies).
With all due respect for the Iranians desire to be left alone to forge their own future, I am highly suspicious of their motives for acquiring nuclear technology.I do not believe that Iran would be the first to initiate a nuclear confrontation but I do believe that they will use the threat of a nuclear confrontation to attain regional dominance.
Whoa! What an historical revisionism of the last decade. To be advocate of the devil …
The US and its allies went into Afghanistan because of Saudi terrorists flying planes into the twin towers and the Pentagon. The aggressive forces originate in Riyadh and their funding of missions (mosques and madrasses) to spread Wahhabism and Salafism. The Taliban and cross-border global jihadists are spreading terror in AfPak area with suicide attacks. Dark Saudi Prince Bandar is commanding the foreign fighters crossing the Syrian borders with Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq to topple the Assad regime. Don’t expect the installation of a democratic or secular state with basic human rights and religious freedom with Islamists in power. The invasion and occupation of Iraq by the US and the UK was illegitimate by standards of International Law. War crimes were committed and over 100,000 civilans were killed. It is no conspiracy but plain historical fact, the US and UK were responsible for the coup d’état in 1953 and overthrow of Iranian PM Mossadeq. In 1979, the Savak trainers of the Mossad and CIA were thrown out of Tehran.
Iran is not in any major form present in Afghanistan. On the contrary, the MEK and Jundullah terrorists are striking inside Iran with the support of the Mossad and CIA.
@Daniel F.: Let’s also not forget the Iranians murdered by Israel’s Mossad, along with the 1 million casualties of the Iran-Iraq War, in which we supported Saddam Hussein. Not to mention Frances’ role in causing nuclear proliferation by selling the plans for the Dimona reactor to Israel. Should Iran and the Arab world forget all of that?
As for prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, I’d say that Assad is the primary culprit there. Plus, blaming Iran without including all the other parties arming the other side is hypocritical.
Israel has invested consideration resources to make life in the ME difficult for Iran by supporting groups hostile to Iran within and outside the country and by attacking Iranians inside the country. Two can play this game, I’m afraid.
I’m highly suspicious of Israel’s motives for acquiring nuclear technology. I do believe Israel might be the first to initiate a nuclear confrontation & in 1973 that was proposed by Moshe Dayan and averted only by the strong opposition of others in the cabinet. I certainly know Israel will use the threat of nuclear confrontation to attain regional dominance. What’s good for the Israeli goose is good for the Iranian gander.
@Richard
“along with the 1 million casualties of the Iran-Iraq War, in which we supported Saddam Hussein.”
And we supported Iran, with ‘Iran-Contra’.
” Not to mention Frances’ role in causing nuclear proliferation by selling the plans for the Dimona reactor to Israel. Should Iran and the Arab world forget all of that?”
Richard. France helped Iraq build and stock the Osirak nuclear facility.
@ Pip: No, we didn’t “support” Iran. We loathed Iran. But we exchanged missiles for hostages because we wanted to free them. This was a limited exercise. Our support for Saddam was years in length & far exceeded whatever we offered Iran.
Israel doesn’t need to bear a grudge against France for the Osirak plant because it doesn’t exist.
You Israelis made wast sums of money with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and with Iran-Contra link. That is different than supporting Iran. That is normally called purely arms trade with a healthy profit margin. If “somebody” sells UZIs to Mexican drug barons is that supporting them or only making money?
If we accept the term support when selling weapons, then Israel supported the African warlords and dictators plus the Burma’s generals efforts in whipping away the minorities and ideological “enemies”. Support in order to get gem stones and dollars.
Osirak was a light-water reactor which could NOT be used for producing nuclear material for bombs. You Israelis could finally stop to portraying Osirak as a heroic mission of saving the Jewish State and the world. That Osirak attack was a pure political stunt and the Israeli leadership knew perfectly well what Osirak was. Osirak was a small Osiris-class research reactor (light water) under international intensive safeguards.
If Arabs had destroyed Dimona complex, that would have stopped manufacturing nuclear arms (and the need for regional nuclear armsrace). Osirak was not the Iraqi Dimona complex.
Interesting read from Foreign Policy’s “The Cable” blog, the last 2 paragraphs are particularly interesting, IMO.
thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/11/10/how-france-scuttled-the-iran-deal-last-minute
I have thought of that possibility, but the French have a long term foreign policy. In September Hollande was left with no option of going alone in Syria, this time as a permanent UNSC member, Hollande could wield veto power to keep Iran sanctions in place. Tough part is, France succeeded in giving Netanyahu and AIPAC more time to lobby members US Congress and create a split in Western powers stance on Iran. Secretary Kerry is trying to limit fallout from this failure to “allies” in the ME region. It is indeed a stab in the back.
” Isn’t it interesting that Bibi Netanyahu, in this, makes common cause with such an unsavory lot?”
Isn’t in the interests of Israel to promote Western antisemitism? This might be a solution to their demographic problem. 500,000 Jews in France must be a tempting target.
@Toivo
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I made aliyah to Israel last year and the dirty little secret here is that Israel really doesn’t want any more olim coming. Not now anyway.
Keep spinning your ‘nefarious, plutocratic Zionist’ yarns, though.
BS ! When Bibi was in France last year in November to commemorate the killing in Toulouse, he made a speech in Paris, in front of Hollande, asking the Jews of France to join their ‘homeland’. Can you imagine the chutzpah to ask foreign citizens to leave their country in front of the president and the whole press. Hollande said that the Jews in France were French, and free to live wherever they wanted. After the visit, Hollande said “off” to the press that Bibi didn’t behave correctly [n’a pas été correct].
Bibi can say whatever he likes. As the head of the Jewish State, he must tell diaspora Jews to emigrate to Israel.
In reality though, there is no red carpet laid out here for olim.
Well if it complete “freedom of speech” and “no etiquette” is normal on state visits, how should visiting heads of state behave in Israel? You Israelis, even you new ones are a funny breed with your rather strange “moral rules”. What if the Russian president comes to Tel Aviv and “orders” all one million Soviet-Jews to come home when standing with Israeli PM and president in a press conference? As the the head of all Slavic tribes Putin has the duty to order that – or has he? Some how as nation you have lost completely the “focus”. There can not be two sets of rules and demands.
@ SimoHurtta:
Touche, indeed.
Oh, you don’t think there would be a red carpet for olim, even for Hasbara purpose ?
After the Tunisian Revolution, the Jewish Agency encouraged the resting Jews of Tunisia to make aliyah, proposing them extra ‘integration’-money. I know personally from a Tunisian Jew that they were very ‘persuasive’. Silvan Shalom whose Tunisian family was saved from the Nazis by Arab neighbours (cf. his own words in the documentary “Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Land” by Robert Satloff) adressed the Tunisian Jews personally urging them to come to Israel.
@ Pip:
Bibi isn’t the head of the Jewish State. He’s the head of Israel, which is a state comprising Jews and non-Jews. Hence it cannot be the Jewish State. Further, Bibi can tell Diaspora Jews what he wants them to do till the cows come home. It won’t mean diddly as no one listens to him outside Israel except a bunch of fatcat GOP hedge fund managers and Israel Lobbyist types.
How could France scuffle US sanctions. This sounds like BS to me. Just another attempt the US to make sure they don’t get the blame for starting the next war. They probably ordered France to do it.
The US sanctions are guaranteed by AIPAC, for the UN sanctions all 5 permanent members have veto power.
“They probably ordered France to do it.”
I would suggest that there wouldn’t be a single, solitary US official – past or present – who would think is was a good idea to give the impression to the rest of the world that they are A-OK with the notion of surrendering US foreign policy to a bunch of big-noting, peacock-puffing, cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
Even as part of some Machiavellian Good Cop/Bad Cop/Keystone Cop routine, the reaction from any US official would be “No. Not the French. Anyone but the French.”
Hollande In A Divided Jerusalem
○ Hollande urges end to Israeli settlement in West Bank