Dominique Vidal, journalist for the
Monde diplomatique and historian, author of numerous books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, published with Leïla Shahid, general delegate of Palestine in France and Michel Warschawski,
Suburbs, Middle-East and us, prefaced by Isabelle Avran, vice-président of the Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS). His latest book was published with Bertrand Badie:
The State of the World 2021. The Middle East and the World, by La Découverte, Paris.
How can you explain this resurgence of violence when the Israeli government seems to swing to the left with the support of Biden’s administration opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu ?
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The brutal murder of a young Jewish man here is roiling the community and reviving questions over whether France is a safe place for Jews. In an incident that has dominated headlines across the country, Ilan Halimi, 23, was lured away from the store where he sold mobile phones on Jan. 21 by a woman, abducted and then held in a suburban housing project for three weeks by a criminal gang, where he was repeatedly tortured, according to French officials.
He was then dumped, barely alive and reportedly with burn marks all over his body, at a suburban train station on Monday, Feb. 13. Halimi died while being driven to a hospital.
Apr 26, 2021
Over 25.000 people gathered for justice at Place Du Trocadero in Paris. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, London, and Rome also held rallies.
By David Aghiarian, United with Israel
Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday following the monstrous decision of the French Court of Cassation’s Supreme Court of Appeals not to prosecute Kobili Traore, the murderer of Sarah Halimi.
Called by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, the main rally in Place Du Trocadero in Paris was attended by more than 26.000 people. Other French cities like Marseille and Strasbourg also had demonstrations under de banner “Justice for Sarah Halimi.”
To paraphrase our insanity defense standard, a suspect who cannot distinguish between right and wrong in killing his Jewish neighbor is not guilty of committing a crime.
France’s version of our Supreme Court moved close to such a conclusion when it ruled that Kobili Traore cannot stand trial for killing a Jewish woman since his state of mind was influenced by consumption – voluntary consumption, that is – of cannabis.
Like America, a defendant’s mental state can determine their guilt or innocence in France. As it translates for the Jewish community, he can get away with murdering Jews or anyone who belongs to a group facing prejudice by exploiting mental health standards.
French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, December 1, 2020. (Benoit Tessier/Pool/AFP)
French President Emanuel Macron expressed support on Sunday for the country’s Jewish community and its efforts to bring the killer of Sarah Halimi to trial, following a ruling by France’s highest court that Kobili Traore was not criminally responsible due to having smoked marijuana.
And he said he would seek a change to laws to prevent such a case from happening again.
In a rare and controversial critique of France’s justice system, Macron said that taking drugs and “going crazy” should not take away criminal responsibility.