The French government has acknowledged that humanitarian aid it sent to the Lebanese government for civilians in the south was partly distributed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah fundamentalists.
But France sought to ease Israeli concerns after statements by a junior minister last weekend appeared to imply that France had been sending the food, medicine and blankets directly to Hezbollah.
Israel and the United States oppose the distribution of relief supplies by Hezbollah because its charitable efforts help rally support for the militant fundamentalists among the local population.
The flap began when the French minister for emergency humanitarian action, Xavier Emmanuelli, said during a tour of southern Lebanon that he knew French aid was being passed on to Hezbollah.
“There are a lot of charitable associations in Lebanon. Hezbollah participates in this charitable action, in medical rescue and social welfare. There is no reason to exclude them,” Emmanuelli told reporters.
The statement created a stir in the Israeli media, and the government of Prime Minister Shimon Peres immediately asked Paris for an explanation.
French officials played down the significance of Emmanuelli’s remarks. He “was not thinking of anything besides recognizing that Hezbollah can be involved in charitable activities,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news briefing this week.
“But this changes nothing in France’s attitude which, I insist, is that Hezbollah must scrupulously respect the April 26 cease-fire accord ending the cycle of violence” in southern Lebanon, he added.
The Israeli Embassy in France said it was satisfied with the French government’s explanation.
“For us the question was, `Is France helping Hezbollah?’ And the answer is no,” said embassy spokesman Daniel Sa’ada.
France closely aligned itself with Lebanon in seeking a solution to the 16 days of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel repeatedly spurned the overtures of France and other countries to end the fighting, instead seeking the diplomacy of the United States, which successfully brokered a cease-fire late last month.
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