Israel lodged a formal protest with France yesterday over President Valery Giscard d’Estaing’s endorsement of self-determination for the Palestinians. The protest was submitted to the French Ambassador. Marc Bonnefous, by Yosef Ciechanover, director general of the Foreign Ministry, at a meeting here. The French envoy promised to convey it to Paris.
Ciechanover told Bonnefous that the French President had, in effect, expressed support for what Israel considers an obstacle to the Mideast peace process. He said that the term “self-determination” was tantamount to support for a Palestinian state, a concept contrary to the Camp David accords. In a speech to the Knesset today, Premier Menachem Begin indirectly criticized Giscard. Without mentioning him by name, Begin took issue with “attempts to interfere in the Middle East” and likened them to the appeasement of Nazi Germany in the 1930s which led to the destruction of Czechoslovakia.
Israel’s protest was triggered by Giscard’s endorsement of Palestinian self-determination an three occasions during his four of Persian Gulf states this week. On Monday, the French President signed a joint communique with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah expressing the view that the Palestinian people “must enjoy, within the framework of a just and lasting peace, the right of self-determination.” He supported the some position in his visits to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The Israeli protest was similar to are made to Ireland last month after the Irish Foreign. Minister, Brian Lenihan made a pro-Palestinian statement in Bahrain. In addition to France, Great Britain, West Germany, Ireland and Belgium have, for the first time, publicly expressed support this week for Palestinian self-determination. The member states of the European Economic Community (EEC) are reportedly deliberating over whether to extend official recognition to the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In addition, a move is underway, led by British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington, to have the EEC countries support an amendment to Security Council Resolution 242 that would give political status to the Palestinians. Presumably this would be attempted if the current autonomy talks between Israel, by the May 26 deadline.
Meanwhile, Israeli ambassadors in Western Europe have been instructed by their government to make known to their last governments Israel’s concern over recent anti-Israel statements.
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