Evacuating wounded following Qassam attack in Sderot (archive photo)
Photo: Reuters
French ambassador: We are aware of Sderot’s pain
Jean-Michel Casa tells Ynet following tour of Qassam-ridden town, ‘Israel must keep using public diplomacy to show the world situation on the ground’
French Ambassador to Israel Jean-Michel Casa, who toured the Qassam-ridden town of Sderot Wednesday along with several other diplomats, told Ynet, “It was very interesting and emotional; we spoke with the children and felt their anxiety, but also their desire to continue to go to school despite the harsh situation.
Foreign Envoys
Anat Bereshkovsky
(VIDEO) Dozens of foreign envoys visit Qassam-plagued town, meet with local students and hear of life under constant threat of rockets
“We met a man who lost his daughter last year, but he still calls for peace and finding a solution to the situation,” the ambassador said. “The situation there is difficult; the residents are suffering and we are aware of their pain and frustration.
Is the international community aware of the severity of the situation?
I am not certain that the international community doesn’t understand. Israel must keep using public diplomacy and show the world the situation on the ground. Two people were killed there within a week, and there was also the Beit Hanoun tragedy two weeks ago. It is important that we understand the issue and continue working toward the cessation of violence.
In Israel there is the sense that while the international condemned Israeli following the Beit Hanoun shelling, it is ignoring the daily Qassam attacks on the Negev
There was a very emotional reaction after Beit Hanoun, due to the number of Palestinian civilians that were killed. But in Sderot people are suffering, even after the withdrawal from Gaza. We at the Security Council condemned the Qassam attacks; France supported the decision to condemn the rocket fire along with the condemnation of the killing of civilians in Beit Hanoun. Our position is not unbalanced.
