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France Says Conditions Not Met to Recognize Palestinian State as Other European Nations Announce Recognition

A man walks past graffiti reading ‘Victory to Palestine’ after Ireland has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay

The conditions to officially recognize a Palestinian state have not yet been met, France’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, after a group of other European countries announced plans to take such a step.

“Our position is clear: the recognition of Palestine is not taboo for France,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in a statement after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in Paris.

“This is not just a symbolic issue or a question of political positioning, but a diplomatic tool in the service of the solution of two states living side by side in peace and security,” Séjourné continued. “France does not consider that the conditions have yet been met for this decision to have a real impact on this process.”

Germany similarly expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but added that a “process of dialogue” was needed to reach that point.

“An independent Palestinian state remains a firm goal of German foreign policy,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said at a news conference in Berlin. “It’s clear to us that this requires a process of dialogue.”

The French and German statements came on the same day that Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced coordinated plans to officially recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, next Tuesday. Leaders of all three countries argued such a move would help foster a two-state solution and lead to lasting peace in the region, explaining that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza accelerated their plans.

“We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other Western countries following this path, because the more we are, the more strength we will have to impose a ceasefire, to achieve the release of the hostages held by Hamas, to relaunch the political process that can lead to a peace agreement,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a speech to his country’s lower house.

He called the decision one “for peace, for justice, and for coherence,” claiming Spain will be “accompanied by other European countries.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris similarly said the recognition came from a belief in “freedom and justice,” and that peace can only be secured by “the free will of a free people.”

Speaking at a news conference in Dublin, Harris added that Ireland recognized Israel’s right to exist “securely and in peace with its neighbors” while calling for all hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Israel and taken to Gaza to be immediately returned.

Eamon Ryan, head of one of the Irish government’s three coalition parties said, said Ireland plans to upgrade its representative office in the West Bank to a full embassy and the Palestinian mission in Ireland will also be offered full embassy status, according to Reuters.

In Oslo, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the only possible political solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel.

“In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other,” Store said at a press conference. “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”

Norway said the demarcation of the two states should be based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as capital of both.

Britain, Australia, and EU members Malta and Slovenia have indicated in recent months that they could soon follow suit.

The announcements drew fury from Israel, which recalled its ambassadors from Spain, Norway, and Ireland for immediate consultations.

“I am sending an unequivocal message … Israel will not let this go quietly,” Katz said, adding the three European envoys would be shown footage of the kidnapping of five female Israeli soldiers during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The footage will “underscore to them what a twisted decision their governments made,” Katz said in a statement. “Their step will have severe consequences.”

Israel had previously warned European countries that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would effectively amount to a “reward for terrorism” that would hurt the chances of a negotiated resolution to the conflict.

Some European lawmakers echoed that point. Michael Roth, head of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, lambasted the moves to grant recognition.

“I fear this will not bring us any closer to the necessary two-state solution,” Roth told the German RND media outlet, adding that it also gives “the false impression that it was only the horrific terror by Hamas on Oct. 7 that led to a new positive dynamic in favor of the Palestinians.”

The US has maintained that Israel and the Palestinians should reach a two-state solution that involves the creation of a “State of Palestine” through direct negotiations rather than unilateral moves by outside powers.

Spain and Ireland have been among the most vocal critics of Israel since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas invaded the Jewish state from neighboring Gaza. The terrorists murdered 1,200 people and abducted over 250 others as hostages in their rampage, the deadliest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas, which rules Gaza.

“Israel will not be silent,” Katz said on Wednesday. “We are determined to achieve our goals: restoring security to our citizens and the removal of Hamas and the return of the hostages.”

“There are no more righteous goals than these,” he added.

Antisemitism has spiked to record levels around the world, especially in several European countries, since the Hamas onslaught.

The post France Says Conditions Not Met to Recognize Palestinian State as Other European Nations Announce Recognition first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Palestinian Filmmaker Who Accused Israel of ‘Genocide’ Wins Top Prize at Film Festival With Israel-Set Drama

A promotional photo from “Happy Holidays.” Photo: 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

A Palestinian filmmaker who has accused Israel of “genocide” during the ongoing war in Gaza took home the top prize on Sunday at the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival for a family drama set in Israel that includes Jewish and Arab characters.

Director Scandar Copti won the Golden Alexander for best feature film and a 10,000-euro cash prize for his film “Happy Holidays,” an Arabic- and Hebrew-language film that follows four interconnected characters who “share their unique realities, highlighting the complexities between genders, generations, and cultures.” One character, named Rami, is a Palestinian from Haifa who must deal with his Jewish girlfriend’s sudden decision to change her mind about her planned abortion.

Copti directed and wrote the screenplay for “Happy Holidays.” He also directed the Oscar-nominated 2009 film “Ajami.”

“Happy Holidays” is Copti’s second film, and it premiered in early September in the 2024 Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, where it won the award for best screenplay. During his virtual acceptance speech at the Venice Film Festival, Copti accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza, where the Israeli military has been waging a campaign against Hamas terrorists.

“Over the past 11 months, our shared humanity and moral compass has been tested as we witness the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he said in comments which elicited applause from the audience. He talked about the “painful reality” in Gaza and said “Happy Holidays” examines “how moral narratives can bring us together as communities, but also blind us to the suffering of others. It explores how traditions and indoctrination can distort our values and make injustice seem acceptable.”

“True freedom is interconnected,” he added. “None of us are free until all of us are free, from all sorts of oppression.”

The jury at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival — which included filmmaker and producer Sara Driver, filmmaker Denis Côté, and producer Konstantinos Kontovrakis — applauded Copti’s film “for intricately weaving different narratives and perspectives that fully expose the complexity of national, gender, and class dynamics that can divide societies and for seeing the future in the face of a young woman.”

The post Palestinian Filmmaker Who Accused Israel of ‘Genocide’ Wins Top Prize at Film Festival With Israel-Set Drama first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Gal Gadot Shares Family Photo From Her Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah

Gal Gadot arrives for the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, April 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci

Gal Gadot’s eldest daughter Alma recently celebrated her bat mitzvah, and the Israeli actress posted Sunday on Instagram a family photo from the milestone occasion.

The “Wonder Woman” star, 39, posted a photo of herself, her husband Jaron Varsano, and their four children — daughters Alma, Maya, 7, Daniella, 3, and Ori, 8 months. Alma, in a lavender dress, can be seen standing in the center of the photo, and in the caption, Gadot wrote a heartfelt message to the bat mitzvah girl.

“My baby is celebrating her bat mitzvah. I can’t believe the amazing person you’ve become,” Gadot wrote to Alma, who turned 13 on Nov. 5. “Your joy, humor, curiosity, and big heart of yours are absolutely magnetic. You teach me so much about motherhood, life, and myself. Thank you for choosing me to be your mother, for choosing us to be your parents. There is no mountain too high for you, and no ocean too wide and deep that you cannot conquer.”

Gadot concluded her message by saying, “Love you forever and always, Ima.” She also included in the post a selfie that Versano took of himself and Gadot with Alma when she was just born.

The comments section of the post was filled with “mazel tov” messages from Gadot’s fans but also some of her celebrity friends, including Selma Blair, Rachel Zoe, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Ginnifer Goodwin, Sarah Silverman, Jessica Seinfeld, Elizabeth Berkley, and cartoon voiceover actress Tara Strong.

“Look at this beautiful Jewish family!!!!” wrote Chelsea Handler. “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen jokingly wrote in a comment, “Hold on, you’re Jewish? Well, then  Mazel tov.” Actress Isla Fisher commented on Gadot’s post saying, “You have the most beautiful family. I can’t believe Alma is having her batty! I could cry. I’m so so proud of her.”

Gadot said in a May 2017 interview, “The best thing is to become a mother and to give life.” In 2022, she talked more about her love of motherhood and childbirth. “I love giving birth. I would do it once a week if I could. It’s so magical,” she told InStyle at the time. “And I always take epidurals, to be fair, so it’s not so painful. Just the moment you feel like you’re creating life, it’s incredible. That is the badass thing I do: the juggling between my family life and my acting career.”

The post Gal Gadot Shares Family Photo From Her Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Urges Soccer Fans Not to Attend Upcoming Paris Game After Antisemitic Attacks in Amsterdam

Pro-Palestinian protesters face Dutch police while taking part in a non-authorized protest in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nov. 10, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Anthony Deutsch

Israel has urged its citizens not to attend the Israeli national soccer team’s upcoming match in Paris this week, in light of the violent antisemitic attacks against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week.

“In the past few days, there have been calls among pro-Palestinian/terrorist-supporter groups to harm Israelis and Jews, under the pretense of demonstrations and protests, taking advantage of mass gatherings (sports and cultural events) to maximize the damage and the media coverage,” Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) said in a public alert issued on Sunday. It additionally noted that “preparations to harm Israelis have been identified in several European cities,” including Brussels, “major cities” in the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, and Paris, where a UEFA Nations League match between Israel and France is set to take place in the city on Thursday at the stadium, Stade de France.

“Given the dynamics of these incidents: independent parties who group online, their broad presence in various countries around the world, actual attempts to hold demonstrations and protests (some of them violent), and concerns that supporters of terrorism/lone wolf attackers will try to blend into these riots with the goal of carrying out an attack — The National Security Council recommends that Israelis abroad … In the coming week, categorically avoid attending Israeli sports/cultural events abroad, and specifically the Israeli teams’ upcoming match in Paris,” the NSC statement read.

The NSC also recommended that Israelis traveling abroad should stay away from all demonstrations and protests, avoid identifying in public as Israeli or Jewish, and check ahead of time if their travel destination can be “problematic” because of demonstrations, riots, crime, or “population of immigrants from countries that are hostile to Israel.”

Late Thursday night and in the early hours of Friday morning last week, hundreds of Israeli soccer fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked by anti-Israel and antisemitic gangs in Amsterdam following a match between the Israeli team and their Dutch rivals Ajax. The NSC said a “pro-Palestinian mob” led the violence “in what appeared to be a coordinated attack.” Israeli officials said 10 citizens were injured in the violence.

More than 60 suspects were arrested in connection to the attacks, and Amsterdam prosecutors said that four of the suspects, including two minors, remained jailed Saturday and would be arraigned this week, The Associated Press reported. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans returned home to Israel over the weekend following the violence in Amsterdam, and among them were over 170 witnesses of the attacks and more than 230 victims, Israel police said.

Dutch officials and leaders from around the world, including US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the violence as antisemitic and many of them described the attacks as a “pogrom.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced on Sunday that he canceled his trip to Azerbaijan for the United Nations Climate Change Conference so that he can stay in the Netherlands to deal with the aftermath of the attacks. He has since talked about the incident with representatives of Amsterdam’s Jewish community, Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and on Tuesday he will hold talks with Jewish and social organizations about combating antisemitism.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed on Friday that the France-Israel match will take place in Paris as planned, despite pressure from pro-Palestinian activists to cancel the game. French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the game and 4,000 police officers will be deployed around Stade de France for Thursday’s match to ensure security in and around the stadium, according to French news broadcaster BFM TV.

The post Israel Urges Soccer Fans Not to Attend Upcoming Paris Game After Antisemitic Attacks in Amsterdam first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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