French President Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping to recover from a serious gaffe in which he was overheard calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar," told an audience of Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he is the most pro-Israel of all French presidents. The event, a luncheon at the Elysee Palace, was attended by Richard Prasquier, president of the Conseil Representatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF), an umbrella organization of French Jewish groups, the organization's vice president, Meir Habib, and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. In his speech, Sarkozy said he would vote in the U.N. for full Palestinian membership only if the Palestinians met four conditions: recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, recognition of Israel's unique security requirements, return to direct negotiations with Israel without pre-conditions, and a commitment not to submit lawsuits against Israel in international courts. Sarkozy also stressed that he has close ties with and admires Netanyahu, despite the differences in opinion between them. Referring to his embarrassing gaffe at the G-20 summit earlier this month, in which Sarkozy apparently did not know his microphone was on as he discussed Netanyahu with U.S. President Barack Obama, Sarkozy said his words were taken out of context.
Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox!
Like our newsletter? 'Like' our Facebook page!
