Former French Premier Edgar Faure, now visiting Israel as a guest of the Government, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that the best way to safeguard the French Jewish minority in an independent Algeria would be through partition of the North African country but that it appeared to be “too late” now for such a solution.
He said there had been discussions about arrangements for dual citizenship, with mixed police in mixed population areas but he argued that short of partition of Algeria, there was no way to provide absolute safeguards to the European minorities.
He expressed the opinion that an agreement between France and Algeria, while improving France’s relations with the Arab countries, would not affect Israel-French relations. He added he did not think the expected Algerian settlement would boost the prestige of President Nasser of the United Arab Republic inasmuch as the Algerian rebellion had started before Nasser’s interventions.
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.
