French leaders consistently dislike their Israeli counterparts. This is because the French prefer to cozy up to Arab leaders, and Israel asks them not to.
French leaders' disgust for Israel most recently surfaced in reported remarks by French President Sarkozy to U.S. President Obama.
"I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama, to which Obama replied, "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you."
It's not surprising that Sarkozy would attempt to undermine Israel's foreign policy agenda and manipulate Obama's relations with Israel by discrediting, without justification, Israel's leader.
Sarkozy's distasteful remarks probably were triggered in part by recent U.S. criticism of France's decision to support full Palestinian membership in the United Nations Economic, Scientific, and Culture Organization (UNESCO). Obama had told Sarkozy previously that the US didn't "appreciate" France's decision and failure to "consult" on the issue.
Anyone weighing the meaning and significance of Sarkozy's insult of Netanyahu should consider France's long-standing antagonism toward Israel, which France views as an impediment to its relations with the Arabs. Sarkozy also aims to divert U.S. pressure from his own government's unfortunate and wrong-headed policies toward the Palestinians.
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