Just recently, in the Great Synagogue of Berlin where part of the German Jewish Community gathered to commemorate the infamously tragic “Kristallnacht,” Chancellor Angela Merkel, referring to the Iranian threats against the State of Israel, solemnly declared: “The security of Israel belongs to Germany’s reason of state (Staatsräson).” Highlighting the threats made by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to “wipe Israel off the map,” journalist and filmmaker Gérard Benhamou decided to introduce his documentary film “France-Israël, Je t’aime moi non plus.” In collaboration with the France-Israel Foundation and B’nai B’rith, this screening, which took place at the Mediterranean University Center in Nice, was also held under the joint patronage of Deputy Mayor Christian Estrosi and Vice President of the National Assembly and President of “France-Israël Côte d’Azur,” Rudy Salles.
A title that almost made the explanation on the invitation card, “60 years of passionate relations between France and Israel,” unnecessary. Skillfully weaving news clips and archival documents, the film retraces, with commendable balance and objectivity, the key events that have marked the sometimes tumultuous history of relations between the two countries, from the Exodus to the recent creation of the France-Israel Foundation, through the various stages of recognition of the Hebrew state.
The author and director, who also serves as Correspondent in Israel for “Radio Communauté Juive de Paris,” enriched his cinematic work with many valuable interviews with political figures from both states, some well-known, others less so, but all central to the Franco-Israeli issues: former Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine explains President François Mitterrand’s stance on the necessity of a Palestinian state. Former Israeli Ambassador to France Elie Barnavi meticulously analyzes the changing atmospheres between the two countries, while Shimon Peres recounts a moment from the secret Sèvres meetings that decided the joint Franco-British-Israeli attack on the Suez Canal. Former Israeli Prime Minister and, according to the director, favorite in the upcoming legislative elections, Benjamin Netanyahu draws a parallel between Nazism and the current regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The author also sought to interview Yossi Harel, the former Commander of the Exodus, who mentions French complicity with a Parisian intent to embarrass its “British ally” in the Levant through the issue of refugees aboard the ship. For the more recent period, the director also offers the perspective of former French Ambassador to Israel, Jacques Huntzinger, whose discretion was matched only by his effectiveness in his mandate to renew and strengthen the sometimes complex relationship, culminating in the creation of the France-Israel Foundation.
For this filmmaker, who notably received the “Golden Dove” at the Cannes Festival in 1977 for his feature film “Adom ou le Sang d’Abel,” the work began at the height of the anti-Semitic acts of 2000, aiming to “explore what lay behind the France-Israel relationship” with “a desire to break taboos,” particularly the alleged abandonment of Israel by General de Gaulle in 1967. The film recalls in this respect that arms deliveries did not really cease after the General’s remarks on “a proud, self-assured, and conquering people.” Remarks which, it should be noted, caused a perceptible stir in the CUM audience. Asked about the current situation, the author explains that France’s policy has not fundamentally changed in its search for balance between Arab countries and Israel. However, Gérard Benhamou specifies, the changes concern “the quality of the climate and tone” in the exchanges. He adds that “Nicolas Sarkozy initiated something new,” asserting “his desire to make this relationship public.” A “display that has not altered good relations with Arab countries,” as some French political leaders feared, concludes the director.
A main idea widely echoed in the debates in which the Vice President of the National Assembly Rudy Salles participated: “The Republic now clearly states things,” he said, who has also just been elected President of the Mediterranean Parliament before continuing: “And fears of possible reactions from Arab countries have proven unfounded.” Mentioning his new regional mandate, the Deputy recounted that once “the resistance of his Arab parliamentary colleagues regarding Israel’s presence in this forum” was overcome, they now regret “the absence of the Hebrew representative during certain debates affecting the future of the Near and Middle East region.” An evolution likely, in his view, to demonstrate the fortunate consequences of France’s “assumed friendship” towards the State of Israel.
