Avigdor Liberman said the leading far-left party in France ‘represents pure antisemitism.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman urged French Jews to emigrate to Israel following an election fraught with extremism.
At a party meeting on Monday, Liberman said there was “no time” left for Jews in France and that they should move to Israel.
Following a dramatic parliamentary election in which all 577 National Assembly seats were up for grabs, the New Popular Front Alliance, comprised of five major parties and a few smaller ones, claimed 182 seats, the most of any group.
In second place was the centrist Ensemble party of Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron with 168 seats, followed by the Right National Rally headed by Marine Le Pen with 143 seats.
No party achieved the required majority of 289 needed to control the parliament, but the New Popular Front’s winning the highest number of seats means it has a good chance of being able to form a coalition.
The head of the New Popular Front, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has promised to recognize a Palestinian state.
Liberman said that Mélenchon “became famous with quite a few statements against Jews and the State of Israel. His party represents pure antisemitism and expresses a significant increase in hatred of Israel and antisemitism.”
In addition, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), Yonathan Arfi, has also characterized Mélenchon as antisemitic.
Concerning the election result, Arfi said, “The fight was against the extreme right and extreme left.”
He added, “We need to raise awareness among the moderate left that it will not be acceptable to be in a coalition with Mélenchon.”
“We are awaiting the outcome of the negotiations. We do not know what type of government we will have,” said Arfi. “Everything that happens next for the Jews depends on the government that is formed.”
In addition to concerns about antisemitism on the left, French Jews have had to confront the disturbing legacy of right-wing National Rally’s Marine Le Pen, whose father was notorious for his antisemitic views and Holocaust denial.
Given the threat of antisemitism on the left and the right in France, many, including Liberman and the Grande Synagogue of Paris Chief Rabbi Moshe Sebbag, have encouraged Jews in France to move to Israel.
Sebag told the Jerusalem Post, “It is clear today that there is no future for Jews in France. I tell everyone who is young to go to Israel or a more secure country.”