Last Saturday saw nearly 18,000 people march in support of Palestine. "We are here not only to condemn the occupation of Palestinian territories, but also to condemn the racist attack in France, against both Jews and Arabs," said Jean-Claude Vessillier, a leading anti-racist activist. The following day, though, the pro-Israeli groups mustered a formidable 50,000 people, waving flags and displaying slogans that denounced suicide bombings in West Asia. On numbers, at least, they had won the first round in Paris.
But leading French newspapers including Le Figaro and Le Monde have been strongly critical of Israel. The issue has become specially sensitive right now as President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin slug it out in one of the closest ever presidential elections. No wonder, the two candidates are walking the tightrope between the two communities. Traditionally, France has been aligned towards Arabs, though Jospin has been trying in the last two years to make the French foreign policy truly neutral.
