UDF Deputy of Alpes-Maritimes, Rudy Salles returns from Israel. He sheds light on the crisis in the Middle East.
Nice-Première: You just returned from Israel. Can you tell us what feelings this trip left you with? How is the Israeli population experiencing this conflict?
Rudy Salles: I was in Israel (Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) but also in Haifa. This city, being the third largest in Israel, is currently a ghost town. All businesses are closed. The population is sheltered in bunkers. Personally, as I was leaving the Haifa City Hall, I experienced an alert: the sirens start to sound, and from then on, you have 30 seconds to take cover. The driver left the car in the middle of the road and ordered us to enter the first building we saw. As soon as the sirens stopped, ten Hezbollah missiles struck the city, killing 2 and injuring 15. This occurred very close to where we were. The population has been living in fear for a very long time. Alerts for attacks from Hezbollah have been increasing for many years. It is very difficult to live with this humanly.
NP: You met with Israeli officials. What is their psychological state? (Worried? Determined? Sorry?)
RS: They are unanimous and determined to end things with Hezbollah. They understand that this fight is difficult because, contrary to what some believe, Hezbollah is not a group of amateurs but a very powerful terrorist organization, backed by Iran and Syria. The Israelis are ready to stop on the condition that the international community takes over to finish off Hezbollah.
NP: You have taken a stand for the Israeli government and legitimized its offensives. Why this stance?
RS: I would like an example so that your readers understand what is happening. The Haifa region has 1 million inhabitants, which is 20% of the Israeli population. If we transpose this population to the level of Israel and proportionally, 20% of the French population represents the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region plus the Rhône-Alpes region. Imagine if these two French regions were attacked by a foreign militia, do you think France would remain inert, without responding. It would react and seek to disarm its aggressors. What is valid for one must be valid for others. I emphasize that Israel is a small country. The reach of Hezbollah’s missiles is 200 km, which means they can hit all the major cities in the country. Israel, therefore, has no choice. Add to this the fact that Hezbollah is the armed wing of Iran and Syria, and you can easily gauge the magnitude of the threat looming over Israel.
NP: Do you understand the support from many associations for the Lebanese people and the criticisms directed at Israel?
RS: I myself am a friend of the Lebanese people. I chair the France-Israel Friendship Group at the National Assembly and I am also a member of the France-Lebanon Friendship Group, and this is not incompatible, on the contrary. I have intervened for 20 years so that Lebanon could be freed from Syria. I wish in the same way that Lebanon be rid of Hezbollah. Those who defend the Lebanese people, and I am among them, need to understand that this is a war against Hezbollah’s terrorism, not a war against the Lebanese people. Alas, Hezbollah is taking the Lebanese people hostage, using them as a human shield. Once Hezbollah is eradicated, there will no longer be a problem between Israel and Lebanon.
NP: You know this region very well. Did you expect such a crisis?
RS: Of course. Hezbollah is not a creation of July 2006. It has been around for 20 years and has grieved the entire planet, France included. It happens that since the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah has significantly strengthened and increased its firepower towards Israel. The Hezbollah resistance against the IDF shows that we are facing professionals in terrorism. Moreover, United Nations Resolution 1559 had specifically requested the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. It did nothing. This dirty work had to be done: Israel is doing it!
NP: How to stop this conflict and what should be, in your opinion, the position of France?
RS: Israel must be supported in this fight by the international community. I would even say that on this subject, there must be a sacred union between Europeans, Americans and even moderate Arab countries. Because if we do not succeed in eradicating Hezbollah, it will rise from its ashes even stronger, and then we will see a surge of fire coming from this movement and its allies who are just waiting for this. Terrorism cannot be fought with words but with weapons. That is why we intervened in Kosovo. This contributed to bringing peace to the Balkans. Well, in Lebanon, in my view, the same type of involvement is needed. And France cannot be absent from this. Under these conditions, and only under these conditions, will Israel agree to cease combat. For this state, it is a matter of life or death.
