MidnightCall Magazine
News From Israel MagazineFrench Leader Urges Israel to Share Jerusalem
There can be no Mideast peace unless Israel drops its refusal to cede sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, challenging one of Israel’s most emotionally held positions.Speaking to a packed session of the legislature, Sarkozy called on Israel to stop settlement in the West Bank. But he tempered his address by assuring Israel it could count on France’s support in halting Iran’s nuclear program.Sarkozy, whose maternal grandfather was a Greek Jew, praised Israel’s democracy and quoted the biblical passage in which God promises the Holy Land to the children of Israel. The comments drew applause and broad smiles from most lawmakers but brought scowls from the handful of Arab members.But as Sarkozy turned his attention to the struggling peace process, reactions were less enthusiastic.“There cannot be peace without an immediate and complete halt to settlement,” he said. “There cannot be peace without recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of two states and the guarantee of free access to the holy places for all religions.”-Philadelphia Inquirer, 24 June 2008, pg. A8French President Nicolas Sarkozy not only speaks for France but literally for the entire world. It has become a political fact that the land of Israel must be divided into a Jewish and an Arab Palestinian state. The most sensitive issue is the city of Jerusalem, but in this case too, the entire world agrees that Jerusalem must be divided. The fact that the president quoted Scripture, which clearly states that the land from the River Euphrates to the river of Egypt is Israeli territory and, at the same time, urges Israel to surrender parts of that territory proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Mr. Sarkozy and the rest of the world’s leaders really do not believe in Holy Scripture.
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