By Daoud Kuttab

France has always been a country that cares first and foremost about itself, which is normal, but sometimes it is so calculating that it comes across as not caring and spineless.
France is a huge economic exporter to the Arab world. Its wheat and military exports to Saudi Arabia and the Arab world are literally in the billions of euros.
At the same time, France is a founding member of the European Union, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a strong member of any Western alliance of which the US is the leader. This means that Paris has to balance its interests with the Arab world with its role in the Western alliance.
A month ago, France was eager to attack Syria for its use of chemical weapons, only to see America suddenly back off as a result of an agreement with Russia.
In the Middle East conflict, the French have been slightly leaning in favor of the Arab position while maintaining its good relations with both Israel and the US. For years, Arab leaders and ideologues have romanticized France’s role as the savior of Palestinians and the Arab world, only to be regularly disappointed when nothing happened.
France’s political calculation and attempts to be seen as neutral sometimes come close to being absurd. Continue Reading »

By Daoud Kuttab

For years, France has been a source of fascination for Palestinians and Arabs for its courage to take positions that run contrary to those of many in Europe and the United States. Palestinians still vividly remember the 1996 visit by former French President Jacques Chirac, when Israeli soldiers insisted on accompanying him to one of Islam’s holiest mosques — Al-Aqsa — as a way of declaring Israeli sovereignty over it. At the time, Chirac uncharacteristically screamed in English at Israeli security: “This is a provocation. Do you want me to get on my plane and go back to France?”

Much has changed since then, including the election of Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, who have not shown similar courage in their support for Palestinian rights. Israeli officials have repeatedly praised Israel’s relations with France, despite France’s vote at the UN in favor of Palestinian statehood in 2012. Even the physical manhandling of a French diplomat in September failed to shake up this unusual bond that has formed between France and Israel.

This Israeli love fest was put on display this week during the state visit by Hollande, who was given the special privilege of addressing the Israeli Knesset. The red-carpet treatment given to the French president was due in large part to his staunch refusal to sign on to the US-led compromise on the Iranian nuclear agreement. Continue Reading »