French politician: Israel not Nazi

 

 

The headline reads "French politician: Israel not Nazi." Sadly, this is news of the man bites dog variety, though it should not be.

French politician: Israel not Nazi

 

French Socialist candidate Royal condemns Hizbullah lawmaker' comments comparing former Israeli occupation of south Lebanon to Nazi occupation of France during WWII

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3335173,00.html

 

Associated Press Published:  12.02.06, 18:08

 

French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, visiting the Middle East on Saturday, condemned comments by a Lebanese Hizbullah legislator who compared Israel 's former occupation of south Lebanon to the Nazi occupation of France.

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A meeting with Lebanese lawmakers Friday posed several potential pitfalls for Royal, whose comments and reactions were being carefully scrutinized back home. Hizbullah legislator Ali Ammar took the microphone and compared Israel's 1982-2000 occupation of south Lebanon to the occupation of France by the Nazis during World War II.

 

"The Nazism that spilled our blood and usurped our independence and sovereignty was no less wrong than the Nazism that occupied France," Ammar said, in comments translated from Arabic into French for reporters covering Royal's trip.

 

 Royal had no immediate reaction to the comments on Friday, surprising some observers. She condemned them a day later, explaining that neither she nor the French ambassador to Lebanon had heard them at the time.

 

 She called the comments "unacceptable, abominable and hateful," and said she "Would have left the room" if she had heard them. Royal and her entourage had a different translator than the one provided for journalists (a likely story).