Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected run for a second term in office in 2017, has told the Herzliya Conference in Israel that in France there are schools where teachers could teach about the Holocaust. “It’s true there are schools where you cannot teach the Holocaust,” Sarkozy said during an open discussion at the 15th Herzliya Conference.
Sarkozy said that humanity owed a debt to the Jewish people for their persecution over the centuries, which culminated in the Holocaust.
“The silence of the nations while the crimes were committed is a blemish on the conscience of humanity, he said. “We all failed and have a debt toward the Jewish people, and it continues to exist.” He said that the “only way to do something about it” was to always ensure the security of the Jewish people.
“Mankind has not yet understood that the fate of the Jews is always the forerunner of what will happen to others,” he said. “Fighting for the security of Jews and Israel is fighting for all those who make a difference in the world, and this is my profound conviction."
However, the former French president, who left office in 2012 after losing to current incumbent François Hollande, insisted three times during his 45 minutes of discussion that France was not an anti-Semitic country.
Sarkozy, who is the leader of France’s main center-right party The Republicans, arrived in Israel on Sunday for meetings with Israeli officials and for the speaking engagement at Herzliya’s Interdisciplinary Center on Monday. He was also scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Sarkozy: Boycotting a start-up nation like Israel is unacceptable
Coming on the heels of an Israel boycott controversy sparked by the CEO of French multinational mobile giant Orange, Sarkozy rejected a French boycott of Israeli companies, saying such efforts were “unacceptable.” He said it was up to Orange CEO Stéphane Richard’s to visit Israel in order to explain himself. “I know that Stephane Richard will come here to explain himself,” said Sarkozy.
Sarkozy said that Israel's economic progress is perhaps its “best victory.” Though a small country, he said, the Jewish state was a huge force attracting investors from all over the world. “This is the best answer for those calls for boycotts, which are unacceptable and illegal,” he said. “To boycott a start-up nation makes no sense politically, economically, morally or financially.”
In his remarks, Sarkozy was also critical of the nuclear deal being negotiated between the US and Iran, saying that the European countries were essentially left out of negotiations which were largely bilateral. He was also very critical of the West's policy toward Syria and the Islamic State, lamenting what he called a lack of leadership.
