Israel

After deteriorating temporarily during the second Intifada (2000/2002), bilateral political relations have been in a clear upswing since 2002. The election, in May 2007, of the French President, whose sincere friendship for Israel is known, has confirmed and magnified this movement. Today, the Israeli government recognizes and appreciates our role as intermediary with the European Union, in particular during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began in the second half of 2008.

The number and level of bilateral meetings over the past five years is the sign of the quality of our political dialogue. The high point of this dialogue was marked in spring of 2008 with two State visits in three months: that of the Israeli President, Mr.Shimon Peres, who went to France from 10 through 14 March 2008 and that of the French President to Israel, from 22 through 24 June 2008.

We can also cite the official visits of Prime Ministers A. Sharon (07/2005) and E. Olmert (06/2006 and 10/2007), the French President’s two trips to Israel in the context of the clashes in Gaza (01/2009), Foreign Affairs Minister T. Livni’s six visits to Paris (03/2006, 12/2006, 07/2007, 12/2007, 05/2008 and 01/2009), Foreign Affairs MinisterKouchner’s seven trips to Israel (09/2007, 11/2007, 02/2008, 05/2008, 06/2008, 10/2008, 01/2009), the visits to France of the President of the Knesset, Ms.Itzik (11/2008), Israeli Ministers of the Environment, Mr. Ezra (12/2006), Internal Security, Mr.Dichter (10/2007), Defence, Mr. Barak (01/2008 and 06/2008), Social Affairs, Mr. Herzog (01/2008), the Vice-Prime Minister, Mr. Ramon (02/2008), Minister of Education, Ms.Tamir (01/2009), former minister Y. Beilin (02/2009) and the head of the Likud party, Mr.Netanyahu (12/2008), who later succeeded E. Olmert as head of the Israeli government (04/2009), and the trips to Israel made by the Secretary of State for businesses and foreign trade, Mr.Novelli, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Mr.Chatel (11/2007), the Secretary of State for Ecology, Ms.Kosciusko-Morizet (05/2008), the Secretary of State responsible for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, Ms.Yade (06/2008, in Jerusalem), the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, Ms.Rachida Dati (09/2008), the Minister of National Education, Mr. Darcos (12/2008), the President of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr.François-Poncet (01/2009) and the President of the National Assembly, Mr.Accoyer (02/2009).

Updated on 06.04.09