Hamas on Friday responded harshly to comments by French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy which expressed support of Israel's construction of the security barrier separating Palestinian territories.
A message published by Hamas spokesperson Fauzi Barhum on Friday read: “The Palestinian people are the ones suffering from the separation fence, not the French.”
Further, it noted, “Our people pay a heavy price because of this separation, and the French foreign minister should understand that the fence is a symbol of racist separation and isolation.”
The severe message came after Douste-Blazy gave an interview Thursday on the French Jewish community’s television network, and said that his opinions regarding the fence had “changed a great deal” towards favoring its construction. Douste-Blazy emphasized that his view on the matter had changed, and that “Israel has a right to security.”
Douste-Blazy explained the change in his views saying that “although morally and ethically the fence poses a problem for me, from the moment I learned that it prevents 80 percent of terror attacks, I understood that I have no right to think this way about the Israelis.”
The French foreign minister's comments suggest a change in France’s position on the security fence. In July 2004 France ‘gloated’ over its achievements in the UN after it succeeded in passing a decision in the General Assembly to demand Israel dismantle the fence.
Owing to this, apparently, France wished to clarify its stance on the issue and the Foreign Ministry spokesperson published a message Friday saying that France’s opinion remained consistent, and the problematic issue was the route of the fence, not its existence per se.
“We of course recognize Israel’s right to self defense against terrorism, but the route of the separation barrier should not be through Palestinian territories,” the message declared.