Israel’s ambassador to France, Ovadia Soffer, stalked off the official reviewing stand during the Bastille Day anniversary parade here to protest what he considered a political statement equating Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
More than a million people watched the march Friday along the Champs Elysee, marking the bicentennial of the storming of the Bastille.
There was all manner of floats and merriment. One segment had giant women dancing with small boys from around the world. Israel was represented by a youngster wearing sidelocks and a skullcap.
Another pair featured a small Arab boy wearing a checkered kaffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian headdress, and waving a PLO flag.
Soffer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he was offended because Israel and the PLO were put on the same level.
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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.
