Opinion

Sale boards at the ready. After all, the French are coming

January 15, 2015 12:52
The supermarket victims are buried in Jerusalem
1 min read

On Monday morning, Israel's largest tabloid, Yediot Ahronot, featured a cartoon showing an estate agent in Netanya reading the paper's headline "Terror in Paris" and immediately cancelling all his employees' holidays.

For local readers the inference is clear - the French are coming.

Last year broke all records for aliyah from France with 7,000 new immigrants arriving in Israel. The coastal city of Netanya, with its sunshine, boulangeries and large francophone community, is a perennial favourite. This year, it was the second-most popular destination for new olim, nearly entirely due to the French.

It may seem rather parochial to view the Paris events from the perspective of the local property market, but it is a sign of how, for many in Israel, the attacks were both deeply personal and political - even before a Jewish grocery was targeted.

The ever-growing number of French-Israelis, the connection between the Jews of France and Israel, perhaps the deepest of any large community anywhere, and the comparisons between the confrontation with radical Islam in either country, all contributed to this.

While the blanket coverage pushed the elections off the front pages for a few days, it didn't bring campaigning to a standstill. On the contrary, it fed in to the jousting between party leaders.

Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett directed a jibe at Tzipi Livni, Israel's former negotiator with the Palestinians and now number two on a joint list with Labour: "Why don't you get on a plane and solve the conflict for the French. Tell them to end the occupation and divide Paris."

Ironically, on Sunday morning it was Bennett who was boarding a plane for Paris. Among his many portfolios, he is also Diaspora Affairs Minister and he was off to show solidarity. He wasn't alone of course. As soon as Shabbat ended, politicians began announcing their travel plans. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would be representing Israel and MK Eli Yishai, leader of a new Charedi-right-wing party would be representing the Knesset. The prime minister's office had initially announced that for "security reasons" Benjamin Netanyahu would not be going (and apparently due to a private request from President Hollande who was anxious that Israeli politics not play a part). But seeing his competitors for right-wing votes were all en route, Mr Netanyahu's office swiftly retracted the previous statement and an El Al Boeing was chartered.

It is unclear yet how the awkward prominence of Mr Netanyahu and his challengers on the streets of Paris will play out in the elections and whether any of them receive a boost in the polls. As it transpired, they needn't have worked so hard as there would be a very Israeli event in which they would take part. The Hyper Cacher victims were laid to rest in Jerusalem.