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| Le Pen calls Israel’s decision to snub his daughter “inappropriate”
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Marine Le Pen, MEP, with her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the National Front
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PARIS/BRUSSELS (EJP)--- Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the French extreme-right Front National party has criticised Israel’s refusal to have any contact with his daughter Marine Le Pen during a planned visit of European parliamentarians in the country.
“This decision is inappropriate,” Le Pen declared on Friday.
Israel’s decision to object to the inclusion of Marine Le Pen in the MEPs delegation prompted the European Parliament in Brussels to postpone the visit officially “for technical reasons that could affect the success of the mission".
A parliamentary source however confirmed it was due to Israel's refusal to accept Le Pen.
The 16-member European Parliament delegation was scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories between October 28 and November 4.
It was expected to meet Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and defence minister Amir Peretz.
Racist and Holocaust denier party
In a letter to the European Parliament, Israel’s foreign ministry stressed the “sensitivities” regarding contacts with representatives of the extreme-right parties in Europe.
"The delegation contained a senior member (Marine Le Pen) of a political party which, unfortunately, is both racist and a Holocaust denier," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.
"For that reason, and although we wanted to receive delegations from the European Parliament, we said that if such a delegation with such a composition would come to Israel they would not receive official meetings," Regev added.
Israeli sources said they could hardly imagine Marine Le Pen at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem while her father, to whom she is close, has made anti-Semitic statements.
Reacting to Israel’s decision, Jean-Marie Le Pen said: «Rejecting the delegation is contrary to our heritage of diplomacy and the most elementary democracy. Furthermore, they (the Israeli government)] didn’t even justify their decision.”
He accused Patrick Gaubert, a MEP from the French governing UMP party, who heads the anti-racist organisation Licra, of “orchestrating the move”.
“I have the impression this is a shady scheme probably initiated by members of the European Parliament, maybe by Mr Patrick Gaubert, president of the Licra, who probably has some relations within the Israeli government,” Le Pen said.
“But the decision will probably be debated in Israel. Can a political movement representing millions of voters be banished?” he asked.
EU parliament decision welcomed
Le Pen welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to postpone the delegation trip.
“The European Parliament reacted with dignity when it told the country (Israel) it wasn’t up to it to designate the members of the delegation. That is the Parliament’s role.”
The 78-year-old Jean-Marie Le Pen, who caused an upset in France's 2002 presidential election when he finished second, was convicted and fined in 1990 for inciting racial hatred and for saying in 1996 that the gas chambers used by the Nazis were "merely a detail in the history of World War II".
Marine Le Pen, who is seen as the most likely successor of her father, was quoted last week as saying that her planned trip to Israel would be an opportunity to "clear up a certain number of misunderstandings".
Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is the Front National candidate for next year presidential election, believes that he will meet Socialist favourite Ségolène Royal in the second round.
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