Paris, 5 February 2021 

Mr. President,

We turn to you in support of the National Assembly Deputy, Meyer Habib, campaign for balance in France Inter broadcasts regarding the State of Israel. This network’s apparent obsessive recidivism in its anti-Israel bias has resulted in a warning from the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA – the French audiovisual regulatory council).

A few examples:

France Inter: “In Gaza, the frontier with Israel is one of the most dangerous in the world. And yet the farmers continue to cultivate their fields, while taking great risks.”

SWC: The truth is quite the opposite, Israeli farmers are daily attacked from Gaza by rockets and balloon bombs.

France Inter: “The iron arm of Israel weakens the Palestinian economy.”

SWC: In fact, the Palestinian Authority for months refused to receive from Israel taxes due to it for the daily functioning of its administration, because Israel called for an end to the “Slay and Pay” pension scheme for terrorists.

France Inter: “Palestinian medical installations for the struggle against Covid-19 were destroyed by the IDF... Israel refuses to vaccinate Palestinian terrorist prisoners.”

SWC: In fact, prisoners were among the earliest to receive vaccines, to prevent the spread of the virus in a promiscuous environment, just as Israel has sent vaccines to the Palestinian Authority for its medical staff, also to avoid the overspill of cases towards Israeli hospitals.

This week, France Inter became a platform for a member of the PFLP (listed by many countries – including the European Union – as a terrorist organization). The speaker called for a “Palestine” to replace Israel.

Mr. President, France Inter is either receiving “Fake News” or, arguably, is abused as a voice for antisemitic anti-Zionism.

Deputy Habib was among those Deputies that voted for the adoption in the National Assembly of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) Definition of Antisemitism. That document should be read by all France Inter broadcasters.

Mr. President, you have called for legislation to protect the values of the Republic, particularly in view of the influence of Islamist ideologies and growth of Jihadi terrorism in France.

Unbalanced media positions on the Middle East and, especially, the Israeli-Palestinian question, could result in inciting further radicalization and thus endanger the Jews of France.

Most respectfully,

Dr. Shimon Samuels
Director for International Relations
Simon Wiesenthal Centre