Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman will leave this evening (23 March) for France. He will meet in Paris with his French counterpart, Alain Juppé. The two will discuss bilateral issues, events in the Middle East and the relations between Israel and the Palestinians. FM Liberman will tell the French foreign minister that Israel expects French support for the IDF’s response to missile attacks from the Gaza Strip against Israeli population centers.

FM Liberman will tell FM Juppé that the escalation in missile launches by Hamas and the increasing attempts to smuggle arms from Iran into the Gaza Strip in the past few days aim to exploit the situation in the Middle East to threaten and harm Israel. The two foreign ministers will discuss the continuation of sanctions against Iran. They will sign an agreement for cooperation in third-party states in Africa on agriculture and public health issues.

FM Liberman will also meet in Paris with members of the France-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Society; with Valérie Hoffenberg, presidential advisor on the Middle East peace process; and with Nicole Guedj, president of the France-Israel Foundation. Liberman and Hoffenberg will discuss the French initiative to develop industrial parks in the Bethlehem area and in the Gaza Strip.

During his visit in Paris, FM Liberman will meet with leaders of the French Jewish community, visit the Great Synagogue, and hold a meeting with the heads of the Consistoire, the body that represents the Jewish community in religious matters vis-ŕ-vis the French authorities.