“Anyone trying to destroy Israel will find France blocking the way,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared at a special session of the Knesset this week, during his three-day state visit to Israel. Mr Sarkozy’s visit was heavy on gestures, though rather light on political substance.
He presented his hosts with assurances of France’s commitment to Israel’s security, said he would never allow Iran to obtain nuclear arms. He also offered his recipe for lasting peace with the Palestinians — an end to the settlements, the two sides sharing Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state. He went out of his way to reassure Israelis of his empathy with their concerns when, at the state dinner at President Shimon Peres’ Jerusalem mansion, he cast aside the prepared speech and spoke without notes.
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“I understand that Israelis feel they can rely only on themselves,” he said. “As an Israeli I would feel the same. I know that… When my children go to school, they are not afraid.” But he assured his listeners that “Israel has more friends than it realises”.
Besides his two main speeches, Mr Sarkozy, who was accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni, visited Yad Vashem, toured the Benedictine Monastery in Abu Gosh and met Israeli businesspeople and Palestinian intellectuals.