Diplomatic observers here will pay close attention to a formal visit by an Israeli parliamentary delegation next week for possible deliberate “slips” by their French hosts that might indicate a change in France’s attitude toward Israel which has been singularly cool since the June, 1967 Arab-Israel war.
The invitation for the visit was extended prior to the war and the subsequent deterioration in Franco-Israeli relations but it was never rescinded. The group, headed by Speaker of the Knesset (Parliament) Kaddish Luz, will spend a week in France on what is described officially as a goodwill visit. They will confer with Roger Frey, minister in charge of inter-parliamentary relations, and will participate in a working session of the French National Assembly. They will also be the luncheon guests of Chaban Delmas, president of the Assembly. According to official reports, their visit will be of a “protocol nature.”
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