Four opposition members of the French Parliament who just returned from a study mission to Israel and Lebanon, paid tribute yesterday to the Israeli army for its “correct and even generous” attitude towards the Lebanese civilian population. They said the press had “grossly distorted” the truth when presenting a near-apocalyptic picture of alleged destruction and killings in major Lebanese cities and refugee camps.
The group, led by former Centrist Deputy Jean-Pierre Bloch, visited the area at the invitation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said they were free to meet with whomever they wanted to see and mingle at will with the civilian population. Didier Barlani, head of the tiny Radical-Valoision Party, said the recent appeal for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations launched by three prominent Jewish personalities is “highly respectable but far from reality.” The three, former French Premier Pierre Mendes-France, and former World Jewish Congress presidents Nahum Goldmann and Philip Klutznick, appealed last week for an immediate cease-fire and a compromise peace in Lebanon. Bartani said their declaration has had “little if any effect in the countries concerned.
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