Smotrich's planned Paris visit sparks controversy: Le Monde
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The Israeli Minister's planned visit has drawn opposition from the pro-Palestinian group CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, which has filed to ban the event he is set to attend.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the Knesset in occupied al-Quds, on July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)
Le Monde on Tuesday reported that extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's planned visit to Paris on November 13 has ignited significant controversy, prompting calls for the cancellation of the event he is set to attend.
Smotrich is set to participate in a gala organized by Israel is Forever, a French Jewish association with ties to the far right.
The gala, presented by organizers as a rallying of "Zionist French-speaking forces in service of Israel's power and history," has drawn opposition from pro-Palestinian group CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, which has filed for the event to be banned.
Despite these objections, Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez confirmed that authorities will not block the event, stating on BFM-TV that "I will not ban this demonstration. I have no reason to do so."
A French court echoed this view on November 9, ruling that the lack of a defined imminent threat did not meet the conditions required to cancel the event.
Read more: 76 Rights groups set to file lawsuit to arrest Smotrich in Paris
French politicians have also voiced concerns over Smotrich's visit. Thomas Portes of La France Insoumise (LFI) urged the prefect to prohibit the gala, accusing the Israeli government of carrying out "genocide in Gaza."
LFI leader Mathilde Panot raised the issue in the Assemblée Nationale, where Prime Minister Michel Barnier clarified that French authorities are not associated with Smotrich's trip, which is viewed as a private visit, and confirmed there would be no governmental engagement with the Israeli Minister.
The backlash stems from Smotrich's prior controversial statements. During an August conference, he suggested that starving Gaza's inhabitants could be justified if it helped secure the release of Israeli captives.
At a previous Israel is Forever event in March 2023, he dismissed the Palestinian people as an "invention" lacking history or culture, sparking international criticism.
In an op-ed on November 10, several prominent French Jewish figures condemned Smotrich's visit, joining calls by the French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) and pro-Palestinian associations for protests.
The event coincides with France and "Israel's" football match at Stade de France days after clashes took place between pro-Palestinian supporters and Israeli fans in the Netherlands's capital, Amsterdam, following provocations from Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.
In light of escalating tensions, the French government announced that 4,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed for security.
While Nuñez later reported that Smotrich may no longer be attending, gala organizers have yet to confirm his absence, recalling that despite similar rumors last year, the Israeli Minister ultimately attended.
