Sarkozy: Palestinian refugees should not be resettled in Israel

Tuesday October 23, 2007 12:30 by John Smith - IMEMC & agencies

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that Palestinian refugees should be resettled in a Palestinian state, not in Israeli territory.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Branding the right of return of Palestinian refugees to Israeli territory as "illogical," Sarkozy argued that refugees should be resettled in a future Palestinian state.

"Each side should have its own nation-state. It is not reasonable for the Palestinians to demand both an independent state and also the refugees' return to the state of Israel, which even today has a minority of one million Arabs," the French President stated.

In a highly-partisan speech, Sarkozy branded the creation of Israel as a "miracle," arguing that the state "introduces Democracy and diversity to the Middle East," a statement ignoring Israel's record of human rights violations, the fact that the apparently democratic Israel currently refuses to negotiate with a democratically-elected Hamas government, and the associated fact of Israel's continued policy of collective punishment against residents of both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Nicloas Sarkoy, the 23rd President of the French Republic, was elected to the position on May 6, 2007 on a right-wing ticket. While he is well-know for his uncompromising and controversial views on law and order and immigration, he is most famous for attending a press conference while apparently drunk.

international | refugees/immigration | news report johnsmithimemc at gmail dot com