A visit by a European Parliament delegation to Israel was postponed due to Israel’s concern over a far-right French delegate. The trip by 16 politicians, scheduled for Oct. 28-Nov. 4, was delayed, according to EUobserver.com, because of the presence of Marine Le Pen, a member of the National Front and daughter of anti-immigration politician Jean Marie Le Pen, who has made anti-Semitic comments in the past. “The composition of the delegation, which includes a person coming from a party whose ranks are linked to anti-Semitism and Holocaust deniers, made it very, very difficult for us,” an Israeli diplomat reportedly told EUobserver.com. The Parliament members now are deciding whether to propose a trip without Le Pen or to cancel the meeting altogether.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.