President Charles de Gaulle reportedly told Grand Rabbi Jacob Kaplan of France yesterday that he had been surprised by the Jewish reactions to his November 27 press conference comments on Israel and the Jewish people and that it had been far from his intention to promote any anti-Semitic views.
Gen. de Gaulle made that statement in a private conversation with Rabbi Kaplan, which was held in connection with a traditional New Years Day ceremony at which the President received the heads of the major religion; in France. At the press conference, President de Gaulle called Israel “a war-like state, bent on expansion,” and declared that the Jews were a ‘domineering” people who had earned “ill-will.” He was severely criticized by both Jews and non-Jews, inside France and overseas for those comments.
Gen. de Gaulle reportedly agreed readily with Dr. Kaplan that help given to Israel by French Jewry could not be considered an act of dual allegiance and that to him, such aid implied “no problem” of this kind. Rabbi Kaplan had issued a statement on behalf of French Jewry, criticizing Gen. de Gaulle for the press comments.
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