38 thoughts on “France Torpedoes Iran Nuclear Deal, Hollande Rewarded with Knesset Address – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
task-attention.png
Comments are published at the sole discretion of the owner.
 

  1. 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.

    Tabnak printed a minute-by-minute account of Saturday’s dramatic on-again off-again push toward a diplomatic agreement on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. It contains little editorializing but by the key placement of news items, it tells a story about French and Israeli bad faith.

    Because Iranian president Hasan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif were deeply concerned that their opening toward negotiations with the West would be sabotaged by hard liners in the Revolutionary Guards and around theocrat-in-chief Ali Khamenei, they had stipulated that no details of any agreement be leaked during the negotiations. Fabius blatantly disregarded this rule. Le Monde reported openly that he had three concerns.

    Agence France Presse reported the reaction to Fabius’s turn as the bull in the China shop. One anonymous diplomat told journalists,

    “The Americans, the European Union (Ashton) and the Iranians have worked intensively for months on this proposal, and this is nothing more than an attempt by Fabius to give himself belated importance.”

  2. 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.

  3. 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”.

    1. 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.

  4. Breaking news from Tehran this morning …

    Iran and IAEA sign joint statement to resolve outstanding issues

    Iran issued the needed permission for the IAEA to start inspection of its heavy water reactor IR-40 in Arak and Gachin Uranium Mine, two bones of contention in Iran-IAEA debates in recent years. The permission was issued within the framework of an agreement between Iran and the IAEA.

    Haaretz: UN nuclear agency, Iran strike deal on inspection of Arak reactor

  5. 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).

  6. 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.

    1. 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.

    2. @ 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.

        1. @ 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.

          1. 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

          2. 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.

  7. 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.

    1. 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.

    2. @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.

      1. @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.

        1. @ 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.

        2. 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.

  8. 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

    1. 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.

  9. ” 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.

  10. @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.

    1. 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].

      1. Netanyahu to French Jews: ‘Come to Israel and make Israel your home’

        According to the statistics, 1,331 French nationals emigrated to Israel between January and August 2012, compared to 1,500 for the same period of 2011, corresponding to a reduction of some 11%. Between 500-600,000 Jews live in France.

        “There is no sign of a massive French aliyah in view, despite the climate faced by French Jews in recent months,” Avi Zana, director of the AMI (Aliyah and Better Integration), the organisation that helps French Jews make their aliyah to Israel.

        Influx of Permanent Immigrants (Olim), 40% from the former SU

      2. 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.

        1. 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.

        2. 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.

        3. @ Pip:

          As the head of the Jewish State, he must tell diaspora Jews to emigrate to Israel.

          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.

  11. 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.

    1. “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.”

  12. Hollande In A Divided Jerusalem

    ‘Welcome to capital of Jewish people’

    Netanyahu welcomed Hollande: “Welcome to Jerusalem, welcome to the capital of the Jewish people. All of Israel is following your arrival with feelings of love and honest friendship. We respect your stance that a nuclear weapon in Iranian hands poses a danger not only to Israel but to the whole world.”

    “In this house I said a few times that I accept the solution of two states for two people, within the frame of real peace, and the resolution of the conflict… Not every member of the Knesset in this house agrees with these statements but on one matter most of us are united – for the peace to be real it must be two-way.”

    At Knesset, Hollande calls for two-state solution with Jerusalem as joint capital

    French President Francois Hollande sparked the ire of some MKs on the Right, when he said in his address to the Knesset that Jerusalem must be the joint capital of Palestine and Israel.

    The French president called for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to “be realistic” and look for creative solutions to end the conflict, saying settlement construction must end, which brought applause from from left-wing and Arab parties.


    Netanyahu called in his speech for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to come to the Knesset, and offered to go to Ramallah to “break the ice.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *