Socialist Michel Rocard, a serious challenger to Valery Giscard d’Estaing in France’s forthcoming Presidential elections, come out in favor of a Palestinian state today. Rocard said “There can be on peace in the Middle East until a Palestinian state exists.” He added that such a solution is, however, unlikely as “long as Israel fears for its own existence.”
Rocard told a press conference that while he personally welcomed the Camp David agreements he did not believe that they would provide a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict. The Socialist leader, who is currently challenging party Secretary General Francois Mitterand for the Socialist nomination for President, had hard words about Israel’s diplomacy. He said it has “lacked imagination” and has often given the impression that “Israel rather welcomes tension as a method of unifying its people.”
The Rocard declaration was a hard blow to Israel’s friends in France who had hoped to counter the government’s pro-Arab policy by threatening that the Jewish vote would go to the Socialist opposition. Rocard rapped Giscard for having made his statement about Palestinian self-determination abroad and for having failed to visit Israel as well. But he expressed himself in general agreement with the gist of the French President’s declaration.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
