Hotovely Launches Withering Attack Against Hollande's Statements

Jerusalem, 15 January, 2017 (TPS) -- Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely severely criticized the statements of French President François Hollande during the Paris Peace Conference, where he compared Israeli settlements to Palestinian terrorists, claiming that both equally threatened the two-state solution for the Middle East. Hollande  said that both sides fear peace.

“The parallel made between terrorism and the building of settlements is a moral distortion,” argued Hotovely.

” While Israel continues to promote life by building, Palestinian terrorists glorify death by murdering innocent people. When brutal terror hit the streets of Paris, did French leaders wonder if  it was due to mistaken French policies? Those who do not condemn terrorism against Israel and compare it to the building of  settlements pull the carpet out from under the international struggle against radical Islamic terrorism.”

Israel’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon reverberated this position and argued on his twitter that “the #ParisConference is so detached from reality that it has extended a hand towards Palestinian obstructionism instead of towards peace.” He further condemned an excessive focus on Israel rather than a joint international cooperation against terrorism.

Over 70 countries and international organisations presently attend the Peace Conference hosted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, including major international players such as  the Quartet, representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Arab and European partners, G20 countries, among others. According to the French Foreign Ministry, “It is [the French] responsibility not to negotiate in place of the two parties, which is neither possible nor desirable, but to act to create political momentum conducive to new negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians themselves.”

The Israeli government and diplomatic corps has made clear that it would not participate in the conference and argued that “internationalizing” the conflict would constitute an additional obstacle to peace instead of a perspective for progress.

On the other hand, the Israeli non-governmental organization Peace Now, welcomed the Paris Peace Conference as “an importance step in preserving the two state solution and keeping it on the international agenda.”

“Just like UNSC resolution 2334 and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech, Peace Now views the Paris Conference as a way of supporting Israel while opposing the occupation and the settlements which lead to human rights violations and endanger the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Israelis must view the conference as supporting the long-term interests of Israel,” stated Peace Now.

The group further argued that Netanyahu’s claims the conference is an “international fraud” are hypocritical due to his statements supporting the two state solution while “doing everything in his power to prevent it on the ground.”

A mere five days ahead of the inauguration of US president-elect Trump, Jean-Marc Ayrault argued during the conference that to move the American embassy to Jerusalem (as Trump proposed during his campaign) would constitute “a provocation with dire consequences.”