Visiting Israel, French Foreign Minister promises continued fight against anti-Semitism

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has begun a visit to Israel by pledging to fight against anti-Semitism. At a memorial to French victims of the Shaoh, Barnier's first stop on a three-day Israeli tour, the foreign minister said that the government of France had expressed time and again its determination to struggle against anti-Semitism.
Barnier's visit to Israel was the first by a senior French official since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in July that France was host to "the wildest anti-Semitism" and urged French Jews to emigrate to Israel. French officials called Sharon's comments "unacceptable," and French Jews also criticized him. Meantime, France has strengthened security at Jewish institutions and enacted tougher punishments for people convicted of hate crimes.