Israel’s View of Mitterrand Win

In the superheated atmosphere of Israeli politics six weeks before the elections here, the victory of Socialist Francois Mitterrand in the French Presidential election Sunday has become, in a strange way, part of the campaign in Israel. Premier Menachem Begin and Labor opposition leader Shimon Peres are vying with each other in their expressions of gratification over the French results and over the extent of their personal friendship with the new French President.

Begin extended a formal invitation to Mitterrand yesterday to visit Israel–as he promised he would immediately after hearing the French results Sunday night. “We will receive you with all the respect and enthusiasm due to you not only as a head of state, but also as a cherished friend who has never turned his back on Israel, and has always been concerned for its security and well-being, “Begin’s invitation said.

For Begin, his personal relationship with Mitterrand is especially important in view of his recent public denunciations of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany and former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing and his repeated criticisms of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Begin is understandably anxious to show that he is not entirely bereft of friends at the top strata of international politics.

Peres, for his part, has made frequent reference during the past 48 hours to his own well known and long-time friendship with Mitterrand, and to the new French leader’s attendance at the Labor Party’s national convention in Jerusalem last December.

Both Begin and Peres, addressing the Knesset yesterday, expressed their satisfaction at the French election results and their hopes for a marked improvement in Franco-Israeli relations. Both men congratulated Mitterrand from the Knesset rostrum. However, Peres went Begin one better when he told the MKs that he had “just spoken to Mitterrand on the phone.”

Both Israeli leaders pointedly made public reference in the aftermath of the French elections to Mitterrand’s specific undertaking to cease supplying Iraq with enriched uranium. The real hope in political circles here is that this will indeed be one direct outcome of the change of administrations in France. There is also the expectation in Israel that the tone, at least, of France’s Mideast policy will change for the better from Israel’s point of view.

CAUTION AGAINST OVER OPTIMISTIC EXPECTATIONS

But seasoned commentators are cautioning against overoptimistic expectations. Mitterrand, while always sympathetic to the Israeli cause, is publicly on record as supporting Palestinian political aspirations too, as indeed are all the leaders of the Socialist International.

One immediate change for the better that is likely to make itself felt is in France’s attitude toward the U.S. orchestrated Camp David process. Mitterrand has repeatedly spoken supportively of this process, and this may very well temper France’s enthusiasm for the European initiative which Britain has been pushing and which Israel sees as intrinsically inimical to the Camp David process.