Alerts

Joel Fishman on La France, Israël et les Arabes: le double jeu?, by Freddy Eytan

A Stormy Romance of France and Israel Joel Fishman on La France, Israël et les Arabes: le double jeu? by Freddy Eytan
Share this

Table of Contents

Jewish Political Studies Review 18:1-2 (Spring 2006)

 

A Stormy Romance of France and Israel

La France, Israël et les Arabes: le double jeu? by Freddy Eytan

Reviewed by Joel Fishman

 

The purpose of this book, France, Israel and the Arabs: The Double Game?, is to give an account of the bilateral relations between France and Israel, approximately from 1974 to the present. Its author, is a senior Israeli diplomat, journalist and head of the Israel-Europe project at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. His method was to choose a long time-span and to utilize a wide selection of documentary written and oral sources. He has based his account on sources at the highest levels of government and the political class both in France and in Israel, and the finished result reflects this perspective. The book offers a coherent account of the facts and the development of French-Israeli relations over a period which has been both stormy and calm.

At times, French-Israeli relations have been characterized by misunderstandings and personal drama, so it is fortunate that the author tactfully demonstrates a humane and generous appreciation of human weakness. It is also clear that he understands the cultural background and ambience of both France and Israel. Accordingly, Eytan provides penetrating profiles of such dramatis personae as Jacques Chirac, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Raymond Barre, Ovadia Sofer, Avi Pazner, and Ehud Barak.

If one quality characterizes this book, it is the author’s sense of decency and generosity in the fullest sense. One would search in vain for villains here, although there may have been a few. Similarly, the reader may occasionally receive the impression that the author knows just a bit more than he is telling. This may be the case, because the implied message of this book is a plea for better understanding between France and Israel.

The author has defined himself as a journalist, rather than a political scientist or historian, but he delivers much more than journalism. He gives capable coverage of the subject and a competent narrative. In addition, the book includes references to sources, a detailed chronological table, an appendix of hitherto unpublished documents, and an index. Indeed, Eytan has delivered more than he promised.

 

Some Critical Observations

At the same time, it is possible to make a number of critical observations. Despite the title, the author does not devote sustained attention to the Arabs and the implications of their policies for France, domestically and internationally. These have resulted in a massive immigration of Arabs to France, creating the “lost territories” within France – that is, largely Muslim neighborhoods which have become effectively autonomous; anti-Semitic violence; and more recently civil insurrection. A policy of accepting a largely unrestricted immigration from Islamic lands without a parallel effort to integrate such populations may have destabilizing consequences for French society. Within a broader perspective, one is confronted with the issue of the “clash of civilizations,” which Bernard Lewis first raised, and the effects of sustained Islamic cultural pressure on France and Europe.

The qualifying phrase of the title poses the question as to whether France’s policy represents a double game. The idea of making a statement followed by a question mark entered into fashion with Francis Fukuyama’s book, The End of History? Just the same, if an author raises this type of question, it is his responsibility to make the call rather than to leave the reader hanging on a question mark. Of course France is playing a double game and it could not be otherwise. Probably every state which maintains relations with the Arab world must do so, but some countries bend over more than others.

France was the midwife at the birth of today’s Islamic Republic of Iran, a rogue state, which along with North Korea, now threatens world peace. President Giscard d’Estaing provided asylum and hospitality to Ayatollah Khomeini who resided in Neauphle le Chateau near Paris and, on 1 February 1979, triumphally arrived in Teheran on a special Air France flight. Further, it is not generally remembered that, two generations earlier, France extended similar hospitality to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, a close friend of Heinrich Himmler and enthusiastic advocate of the “Final Solution.” Although the French government was obligated to detain this war criminal and bring him to law, they lodged him in a villa in the fashionable Paris suburb of Rambouillet where he enjoyed an excellent standard of living at a time when many Frenchmen went hungry.1 Gradually, Haj Amin’s gracious hosts lifted police surveillance, leaving him in the care of his household staff. So, on 28 May 1946, the Mufti simply sent two servants to buy food, while his chauffeur drove him to the airport where he boarded a TWA flight to Cairo.2

One wonders if the real motives for this fishing in troubled waters may have been to foment hatred and discord in the region and one may also ask what concrete benefits the makers of French foreign policy hoped to gain.

 

De Gaulle’s Reorientation of French Foreign Policy

Probably the most serious shortcoming of this book is one of historical periodization. It begins in 1974 when, according to the author, France adopted a policy favorable to the PLO, but French-Israeli relations are clearly divided otherwise: before 1967 and after 1967. Before 1967, bilateral relations between France and Israel were defined by alliance and friendship. France provided military and technical training for the young state, entr?e into Africa, and not least, an atomic reactor. France supported Israel’s war of independence (just as it had supported the Americans a few centuries before). France and Israel were allies in 1956, and with the agreement of the United States, France became Israel’s main arms supplier.

After the Six-Day War, General de Gaulle, at his famous news conference of 27 November 1967, announced the formal reversal of French policy. After France’s withdrawal from Algeria, he adopted a totally new foreign policy orientation, which resulted in a shift toward the Arab world and, within the context of the Cold War, the policy of d?tente. After his dramatic news conference, official French-Israeli relations ceased in terms of alliance and friendship. This decision represented a defining moment not only for Israel, but also for contemporary France in its own right, and if one wishes to understand contemporary France and Israel one must deal with the 1967 watershed frontally and in chronological sequence.

At his conference, General de Gaulle used the unforgettable phrase: “le peuple juif, sûr de lui meme et dominateur” (the Jewish people, self-confident and domineering), which the author quotes retrospectively in the last chapter (p. 470). The practical consequence of his brutal statements, which drew heavily on Charles Maurras, a monarchist-nationalist-Catholic thinker and politician with strong anti-Semitic feelings, was to make the open expression of anti-Semitism once again acceptable in France and in Europe. According to the Canadian historian Henry Weinberg, “De Gaulle implicitly characterized the Israelis as arrogant, expansionist war hawks who seek every opportunity to achieve their imperialistic aims, as militarists spoiling for a fight. He also ‘invited’ the Jews to keep a low profile, implying that Israel’s right to live in security was linked to the ‘humility’ of its political behavior.”3 Since then, Israeli attitudes toward France have been characterized by a distinct bipolarity: feelings of gratitude and nostalgia on the one hand, and bitterness and disappointment on the other.

Despite this structural shortcoming, La France, Israël et les Arabes: le double jeu? is a valuable and highly readable contribution to our understanding of the bilateral relations between France and Israel.

*     *     *

Notes

1. John Roy Carlson, Cairo to Damascus (New York: Knopf, 1951), p. 422.

2. Ibid., pp. 410-11.

3. Henry H. Weinberg, The Myth of the Jew in France, 1967-1982 (Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1987), p. 34.

*     *     *

DR. JOEL FISHMAN is a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He has recently published on Israel’s position after the Oslo Accords, and his book, with Efraim Karsh, La Guerre d’Oslo, appeared this year.

Joel Fishman

Dr. Joel Fishman is a historian and Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. He received his doctorate in modern European history from Columbia University and has carried out post-doctoral studies at the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation in Amsterdam. He has published on political warfare, devoting special attention to the cultural environment in which it is waged. At the Jerusalem Center he served as editor-in-chief of the Jewish Political Studies Review. He is the author of the pioneering contribution, “<a href="https://jcpa.org/article/ten-years-since-oslo-the-plos-peoples-war-strategy-and-israels-inadequate-response/">Ten Years since Oslo: The PLO’s ‘People’s War’ Strategy and Israel’s Inadequate Response</a>,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, <em>Jerusalem Viewpoints</em> No. 503, 1 September 2003.
Share this

Subscribe to Daily Alert

The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Related Items

Stay Informed, Always

Get the latest news, insights, and updates directly in your inbox—be the first to know!

Subscribe to Jerusalem Issue Briefs
The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Notifications

The Jerusalem Center
Canada investigating Israeli-Canadian IDF soldiers?
JCFA senior researcher, Amb. Alan Baker slams the probe as a “political PR stunt with no legal basis.” “This isn’t justice—it’s a betrayal. Canada is siding with PLO propaganda over facts.”
11:29am
The Jerusalem Center
What makes a child believe killing a #Jew is justified?

In PA textbooks, Jews are called liars and frauds; their fate: elimination. This is #indoctrination—not #education. But change is happening. On East to West, @IMPACT_SE CEO Marcus Sheff exposes how #UNRWA-funded schools are fueling extremism—and what real reform looks like.  Listen now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2JHqh973U  Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8OkJTGNfVUc

11:43am
The Jerusalem Center
Highlights from the @Jerusalem_Post Annual Conference in NYC:

Dr. @Dan_Diker, President of the JCFA: “October 7 wasn’t just an attack on Israel — it was a blow to the U.S. on Israeli soil. It demands moral clarity and a united front between Israel and the U.S. to defeat jihadist terror.”

2:20pm
The Jerusalem Center
@XAVIAERD says it like it is

Well, @XAVIAERD says it like it is: If you’re part of “#Queers for #Palestine,” he’ll pay for your flight to #Gaza. Go see for yourself how they treat LGBTQ+ people over there. Don’t miss this bold take on the Israel-Hamas war and the woke right.

2:32pm
The Jerusalem Center
“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.”

“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.” On Our Middle East by @JNS_org, @Dan_Diker@KhaledAbuToameh (JCFA/@GatestoneInst) break it down: If Hamas isn’t crushed, Iran wins. The jihadis—from #Gaza to your campus—get the green light. Diker: “This war is for the West.” No fluff. No filters. Just raw insight from two insiders who actually know what’s going on.  Watch: youtu.be/4Aq_zcbb4Yo

2:15pm
The Jerusalem Center
5/5 Lt. Col. Kalo on East to West with @smartinezamir:

“This operation showcases Israel’s strategic intelligence superiority both regionally and globally. It demonstrates the moral commitment to recovered soldiers and also strengthens Israel’s position with allies.” youtube.com/watch?v=nIvNNi

2:07pm
The Jerusalem Center
4/5 The operation built on intelligence gathered during the 2019 #Baumel recovery

#Mossad agents operated under cover in #Syria for years, visiting a graveyard multiple times under fire to collect remains for DNA matching. The intelligence community’s evolution combines technology, big data analysis, and human intelligence capabilities.

2:02pm
The Jerusalem Center
3/5 This recovery coincided with the release of Israeli hostage Edan Alexander

This recovery coincided with the release of Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from #Hamas in #Gaza, significantly boosting national morale amid an ongoing conflict now stretching over 18 months. The dual successes demonstrate #Israel‘s unwavering commitment to bringing all soldiers home.

1:58pm
The Jerusalem Center
2/5 The operation used the power vacuum following #Assad’s fall from #Damascus

Lt. Col. Avi Kalo, former head of IDF Prisoners & Missing Persons Division, calls it “an outstanding event that brings hope and new spirit to the people of Israel.” The operation utilized the power vacuum following #Assad‘s fall from #Damascus, allowing #Israeli intelligence to deploy ground capabilities in #Syria.

1:56pm
The Jerusalem Center
1/5 Israeli forces recovered the remains of Sergeant First Class Zvi Feldman

In an unprecedented operation, Israeli forces have recovered the remains of Sergeant First Class Zvi #Feldman, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub. The complex #Mossad mission was conducted deep within #Syrian territory, 43 years after his disappearance. This follows the successful 2019 recovery of Zachary #Baumel from the same battle.

1:54pm
The Jerusalem Center
A molotov attack on a bus = a “barbecue party”?

That’s what #Palestinian kids are being taught under @UNRWA  — from grade school to graduation. This isn’t education. It’s indoctrination. Marcus Sheff of @IMPACT_SE  breaks it down with @smartinezamir

12:51pm

Close