From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency [2]:
French official praises, blasts Israel
France's foreign minister described Israel's "colonization" of the West Bank as illegal.Visiting the Jewish state this week, Philippe Douste-Blazy praised the success of the Gaza withdrawal but said that "other steps must follow." "The colonization of the West Bank is against international law," he said, "and any continued colonization called into question the very meaning of the peace process."(JTA, Sept. 9)
In French media, Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem, are commonly referred to as "des colonies juives," leaving no ambiguity. Settlers are referred to in publications such as Le Monde as "Les Colons," just as French colonists in Algeria were called.
The International Court of Justice at the Hague on July 9, 2004 confirmed in its advisory opinion, adopted 105-6 by the UN General Assembly, that all Israeli settlements/colonies are illegal under international law.
See our last post [3] on the Gaza pullout.
