French
researcher Pascal Boniface, a specialist in geopolitics and the Middle East,
criticized the intellectual climate in France, citing the pressures and
constraints placed on elites who have taken progressive stances against the
genocide carried out by the Israeli entity and in defense of the Palestinian
cause.
During a
seminar in Tunis for his new book, "The Geostrategy of
Palestine-Israel," Boniface surprised attendees by announcing, "I
will request asylum in Belgium, because the debate there on the Arab-Israeli
conflict is freer compared to France. In France, there is a siege on free
thought and writing." He noted that France "excessively uses
anti-Semitism and related laws and rejects any criticism of the genocide Israel
is committing against Palestinians."
Between Freedom of Criticism and Accusations of
Antisemitism
Boniface
stressed that "they use anti-Semitism laws in France and Europe to prevent
all criticism against Israel. We are allowed to criticize everything except
Israel. When you say you don't agree with what Putin is doing, no one says
you're anti-Semitic, and when you say you're against what President Xi Jinping
is doing in China, no one will accuse you of anti-Semitism. But as soon as you
say you're against Israel's policies, they tell you that you are
anti-Semitic."
The speaker
accused the French media of complicity against the truth regarding the
Palestinian issue. "There is complicity and there is unprofessionalism; a
marriage between complicity and unprofessionalism. There is a siege on me personally
and on every voice that takes a position critical of the genocide... We rely on
alternative media and social media to make our voices heard," he said. He
added that the new generations in France and the West are no longer being
deceived by directed media and are beginning to adopt independent positions and
change their views on this issue in recent times. "There are youth and a
new generation that are escaping this perspective and rejecting these
practices."
Sanctions as the Only Solution to Stop the Genocide
Boniface
believes that "as long as there are no sanctions, Israel will not stop the
genocide. While there were 19 sanctions against Russia, there is not a single
one against Israel. It is true that the French and Western recognition of the
Palestinian state is a good and important step, but without sanctions, it
becomes meaningless."
In this
context, Boniface calls for a decisive international stance against Israel and
urges greater popular mobilization and pressure on governments to be more
strict with the entity. "It is unreasonable for the world not to act.
After two years of declared war in Gaza, there are children without schools,
without water, and without the necessary means of life. There is the killing of
the defenseless and the unjustified killing of civilians. Nothing justifies the
genocide," he added, stating that "what is happening is a crime
against humanity. The Israeli army claims it is fighting Hamas, while 83
percent of the victims are civilians. Despite the killing and the large number
of victims, Israel has not been able to recover the hostages, and three
hostages were killed by the Israeli army."
The Triumph of Truth Over Force
The speaker
believes that "mobilization and a push in Europe must continue, especially
against Israeli policies, to work on compelling European governments to
pressure Israel by all means to change its policies."
Regarding
potential scenarios, the French researcher believes that "Israel may
achieve some gains by using the factor of force, but it will lose a lot in the
end, and I am sure that the word and the truth will triumph in the end, not
force," he added. "Israel is also losing significantly financially...
because of the war, tourism and the economy have stopped, and therefore it has
serious difficulties," noting that "the right-wing in Israel is
trying to turn the conflict from an issue of occupation into a religious
conflict to feed its positions," and stressing the need to "differentiate
between Jews and Zionism. I can talk about a Zionist lobby, not a Jewish lobby,
because many Jews reject the genocide and do not support Israel."
In response
to a question about the possibility of comparing October 7, 2023, and September
11, 2001, Boniface said, "There is no comparison between the two, but in
both cases, the events were exploited to implement aggressive projects."
Boniface
reads previous peace paths differently and believes that "Israel was never
ready for peace, and the Oslo Accord was not fair, because the Palestinians
recognized Israel as a state while Israel did not recognize a Palestinian
state, but only the existence of a Palestinian Authority. The Oslo Accord also
did not solve the problem of occupation or stop the settlements, and therefore
did not create true peace, and the person who assassinated Rabin succeeded in
ending the peace process."
In response
to a question about Syria's situation in relation to the entity, the speaker
said that "the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad have never been a
nuisance to Israel. It is assumed that there are some historical moments that
the Arabs lost, such as the 1967 war, which established Israel in
reality." He also believes that "the late Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat betrayed the Arab cause when he signed a treaty without obtaining the
rights of the Palestinians."