PARIS - The presidents of the three major Jewish organizations in France are boycotting Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and won’t participate at an event that was set to take place Tuesday evening with him and representatives of the French Jewish community.
Sources in the Jewish community confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the presidents of the CRIF (the umbrella organization of French Jews), the Consistoire Centrale (representing the French Orthodox Jewish communities) and the FSJU (unified Jewish social fund) were not going to the event, organized at the request of Smotrich’s office and in coordination with the embassy in Paris.
Instead, the organization will send lower-ranking representatives to the meeting, whose location was kept secret to avoid any demonstrations against Smotrich at the site.
Smotrich arrived in Paris to participate at the two-day ministerial meeting of the OECD, which is the senior annual event of the organization. The OECD conference starts on Wednesday morning, leaving Smotrich with time on Tuesday afternoon and evening for other meetings.
Smotrich visited Jewish supermarket where four Jews were killed in 2015
Shortly after his arrival, and accompanied by Jewish Agency representative in Europe Arie Abitbol, Smotrich visited the Hypercacher Jewish supermarket at the southeast of Paris, where four Jews were killed during the 2015 wave of terrorist attacks.
A statement issued by his office quoted Smotrich as saying, “We [the Israeli government] act for unifying all parts of our people wherever they are. The link [with the Diaspora] is one that cannot be broken, and is unrelated to origins, opinions or anything else. I wish to thank the French government for its uncompromising battle against antisemitism and for its protection of Jewish lives in communities across the country.’’
Sources at the French Foreign Ministry had confirmed in the past that there would be no official meetings with either Smotrich or National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Similarly, sources at the municipality of Paris said they were not interested in contacts with Smotrich.
That being said, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire might find it hard to avoid Smotrich during the two-day OECD ministerial meeting. Also, it is unclear yet whether Smotrich will meet personally with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.
Hundreds of Israelis and French Jews are preparing to demonstrate against Smotrich and against the judicial overhaul outside the OECD compound on Wednesday, under the slogan “Fascism in Paris? Not by us!’’
Smotrich last traveled to Paris mid-March, for what was defined by his office as a private visit, participating at a memorial service for the late far-right French-Israeli activist Jacques Kupfer. At the event, Smotrich delivered a provocative speech, claiming that “There is no such thing as Palestinians, because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.”A video of the speech was later posted online, showing Smotrich standing with a map of the “Greater Israel” behind him, and showing the audience applauding Smotrich after his remark.
The French Foreign Ministry condemned the speech, calling his comments “shameful and irresponsible.’’