The visit by French President Nicholas Sarkozy to Jerusalem and Bethlehem proves that France has not changed its policy vis-à-vis the Middle East conflict. It proves that the fundamental principles that differentiate it from the US policy remain intact, with an insistence that Jerusalem should be the capital of two states, that a Palestinian state should be established, the Israeli settlement activity halted, and the obstacles before the Palestinian people removed.
However, what has changed with Sarkozy involves form, and not content. There is also the huge ambition to secure a role in terms of a Middle East settlement. The form involved a message of affection to the Jewish people and Israel, and the use of Biblical passages in his address to the Knesset. In this speech, Sarkozy said that his grandfather was Jewish and was unable to use the word "Germany" because of the Holocaust. Sarkozy said that after everything that had happened, the German and French peoples reconciled, affirming the inevitability of coexistence between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples in two states.
Sarkozy went to Israel driven by a strong desire and intention to secure a role for France, which takes up the presidency of the European Union next week, in the Palestinian and Syrian negotiation tracks. He began his visit with speeches that resembled letters of love and support for the Jews and their history. He repeatedly expressed his happiness about France's role in establishing the Jewish state. All of his comments expressed how strongly he understands Jewish feelings and everything that happened to the Jews in Europe. Sarkozy told those around him while in Jerusalem that he was not Jewish, but grew up with his Jewish grandfather, who married a Catholic woman. Although he was Catholic, Sarkozy said, logic had made him accept Europe's responsibility for the Holocaust; he was enraged by what happened to the Jews in Europe.
Sarkozy also met with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, in Bethlehem. Sarkozy's visit reflected a true desire to secure a role for France when it heads the EU and before a new US administration takes office, perhaps six months after the upcoming US presidential elections. Thus, Sarkozy wants to move quickly with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as he works hard behind the scenes to arrange a meeting between al-Assad and Olmert on July 13. Sarkozy expressed his friendship with Israel, but urged it to work on removing the obstacles to peace. However, desire, attention and love for Israel are not enough to convince others, and play a role in both negotiation tracks. Sarkozy believes that his moves and his friendship with the Jewish state will open doors for him so that he can play a role on the Syrian-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli tracks. But conditions on the ground are not conducive to such a scenario.
The Palestinian side affirms that the negotiations with Israel are stalled, even though Olmert says that they are moving forward. With regard to the Syrian side, Sarkozy also wants to succeed at getting a photo of a handshake between Olmert and al-Assad in Paris; the French president is making a strong effort to see such a thing take place. Perhaps he is trying to achieve this via his friends, the prime minister of Qatar, or others, who have convinced him of the need to open up to Syria. Sarkozy is convinced that opening up to Syria will convince Damascus to break its solidarity with Iran, which is strangely naïve, because it will not happen.
Despite everything, Sarkozy is trying, by using the force of his will and his constant efforts, to play a role in a Middle East peace. He made a visit to Israel during which he avoided any difficulties from the Israeli side. He did not visit East Jerusalem or the Temple Mount; he avoided taking any provocative step, affirming all the while that he prefers to speak the truth.
Despite Sarkozy's enthusiasm, peace in the Middle East is not like an election campaign. The huge complications, Israeli intransigence, and the Jewish state's actions against Palestinians are stronger than Sarkozy's determination. Meanwhile, Syria's actions in Lebanon, its attempts to maintain its power to obstruct while protecting its allies and those of Iran, and enhance their power and weapons, confirm that Sarkozy's diplomacy is like a French dream of European ambitions, a dream that will clash with the complicated reality and the Israeli and Syrian leaderships, which are not on the road to peace in the region.
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