The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who supported France’s military intervention in Libya, was barred from visiting the country because he is Jewish. Levy, a celebrity in France, was supposed to join former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on a visit that began Tuesday in Tripoli, according to a report on the news website Rue89. The website reported that Levy had to stay behind at the insistence of municipal bosses in Tripoli. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one city official told Rue89, …More

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy shocked attendees of a United Israel Appeal dinner last week, when he called on the international community to pressure Israel into creating a Palestinian state. "Israel has surrounded herself with walls of Jericho,” Sarkozy said to a room of wealthy, mostly pro-Israel donors. “It will be necessary to bring down the walls in order to save her.” The 45-minute speech from last week was reported on yesterday by a French magazine. The publication claimed …More

The following is a review of the news highlights of the Jewish year 5772. September 2011 An Egyptian mob breaks into the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Israeli personnel are stuck inside for hours until Egyptian commandos arrive at the scene. Israeli Air Force jets evacuate the Israelis from the country. The attack exacerbates fears in Israel that it is losing a once-reliable ally to the south. The Palestinians submit their bid for statehood recognition to the UN Security Council. In speeches at the UN General …More

French expats from eight Mediterranean countries elected a Tel Aviv woman to represent them in the French parliament. Daphna Poznanski-Benhamou of the Socialist Party received 7,584 votes in the second round of elections for the eighth constituency for French residents overseas, which took place Sunday. The constituency is made up of French citizens living in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, the Vatican and San Marino. “I was very warmly received in Turkey and elsewhere before and during the …More

Some 5,000 French Jews participated in an aliyah fair in Paris. The fair, organized and run by the Jewish Agency, took place Sunday as French voters went to the polls and elected Francois Hollande as their new president, beating incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, considered the favored choice in the Jewish community. “I cannot recall having seen such a massive number of people interested in aliyah since the days when lines of people stretched out of the Israeli embassy in Moscow,” said Jewish Agency Chairman …More

French nationals living in Israel voted overwhelmingly for incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy, to the tune of 93 percent, but it wasn’t enough to keep the leader around for another term. Sarkozy lost out to socialist opponent Francoise Hollande in a run off vote on Sunday, with Hollande taking 51.7 percent of votes over Sarkozy’s 48.3 percent. In the weeks leading up to the election, Hollande was at times beating Sarkozy in the polls by double digits, making Sunday’s close call a surprising …More

The Shas party in Israel is trying to stop measures to force a mandatory draft into the IDF, which would remove the traditional exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews. [Times of Israel] Meanwhile, the IDF has launched a campaign to help prevent soldiers from kidnapping. [Israel Hayom] An Arab Knesset member has slammed the early elections, saying it comes shortly after Ramadan, a period of political abstention for Muslims. [Times of Israel] And a Haaretz writer says French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s defeat in …More

An Israeli news channel says Benjamin Netanyahu has called for early elections so he can deal with Iran come autumn. [Times of Israel] Meanwhile, an Israel Hayom op-ed holds little optimism for French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s chances in this weekend’s runoff vote. [Israel Hayom] Elsewhere, thousands of people in Jordan are calling for an end to a peace deal with the Jewish state. [Haaretz] And Israeli and Iranian demonstrators meet in Berlin to protest proposed military strikes between their …More

Francois Hollande, who currently leads polls in the French presidential election, honored the memory of deported Jews over the weekend. Hollande visited a Holocaust museum and memorial in Paris, saying the site produced important work “for Jews and for humanity.” He also said at the time that Iran’s threat against Israel disturbed him, but he did not give specifics on what his platform against a nuclearized Iran would be if he became president. The French campaign will see a run off vote on …More

President Barack Obama extended his condolences today to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose father passed away early Monday morning. The US leader called Netanyahu from Air Force One while returning from a surprise appearance in Afghanistan, where he addressed Americans during a live broadcast last night. During the conversation, Obama called late Benzion Netanyahu a “bridge between Israel and the US.” “Michelle and I wish to express our deep sorrow on the passing of your …More

Rachael Levy is a freelance writer who recently graduated from The American University of Paris with a degree in international and comparative politics. You can follow her on Twitter at @rachael_levy. Extreme right wing candidate Marine Le Pen of the Front National won the support of nearly one in five French voters in the first round of the French presidential elections on April 22. With 17.9 percent of the vote, or about 6.4 million votes, she won over around 1.6 million more votes than her father, Jean-Marie …More

The director of Israel’s security agency has made headlines recently for harshly criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu over Iran and Palestine. [Jerusalem Post] Meanwhile, reports show non-Jews have been using the Birthright program to get free trips to Israel. [Israel Hayom] Elsewhere, the leader of a French-Jewish group is still facing reproach after comments about Nicolas Sarkozy’s “strong links” to Judaism. [Forward] And a Tablet writer argues that Israel should lead the cause of ending …More