Le Devoir, an influential French-language daily that is generally considered anti-Israel, said today that “in order to restore peace in the Middle East, it is absolutely necessary that the Arab countries accept the existence of Israel and respect its integrity in a territory to be determined.” The long article on the Middle East conflict was signed by Paul Sauriol. editor-in-chief of the center-right paper.
Mr. Sauriol referred to a statement by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mitchell Sharp in Tel Aviv last November that affirmed Israel’s right to exist and live in security. “This seems an incontestable truth,” Mr. Sauriol said. He called El Fatah’s demand for a binational state “unacceptable, because this would ultimately mean the destruction of Israel as a state.” He said that with the help of the Arab countries the Palestinian guerrillas can “continue for an indefinite period of time…no matter how serious the damage inflicted by Israel.” Mr. Sauriol charged that the Big Four were responsible for the explosive situation in the region, and he called for them to take strong steps for its pacification.
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.
