Telling the French to butt out of Jerusalem…and free Corsica instead
When it comes to meddling in other countries’ affairs, I’m an enthusiast. I just don’t buy the line that nations and commentators should mind their own business. The world is too interconnected and, anyway, the practice is too much fun. So, I have no real explanation as to why I found Michael Freund’s gently sardonic commentary in today’s Jerusalem Post so congenial. His piece comes amid another unfolding spat between France and Israel over the status of Jerusalem. Last Friday, the French scolded Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for supporting the idea of a united Jerusalem under Israeli control. This, the French foreign ministry said, was: “unacceptable and contrary to international law.”
Pivoting around this flash of gallic indignation, Freund builds a marvellously understated polemic reminding the French that they might think about their own behaviour before censuring others:
“This month marks the anniversary of one of the most brazen acts of military occupation ever to have taken place in the Mediterranean region. An entire people was seized and placed under foreign control, stripped of its nascent independence and forced into submission. Freedom still remains but a distant dream for them. And in the absence of dialogue, they can do little but chafe at every indignity that is thrown their way.
“Yes, that’s right, I know what you are thinking: It has been 240 years, and Corsica is still being occupied by France? It was in May 1769 that French troops defeated the Corsicans at the Battle of Ponte Novu, bringing to an end the 14-year old independent Corsican republic.”
Later, he adds:
“And Corsica, of course, isn’t the only example of France’s double-standards. Just ask the Basques, or the residents of north Catalonia, about how the French state treats their historical claims or their rights to self-determination.
“This hypocrisy on France’s part cannot and must not be allowed to stand or to go unanswered. So I say let’s follow France’s example, and start thundering repeatedly about it at every opportunity.”
I like it. So, whenever the French decide it’s time to lecture Israel, let’s say with Michael Freund: “Set Corsica Free”!!
For the full article, click here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243346480856&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull