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Israeli MK Avital visits France and warns about Hezbollah

Updated: 01/Sep/2006 17:23

Colette Avital, Knesset deputy speaker

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PARIS (EJP)--- Knesset deputy speaker Colette Avital visited France last week and alerted French opinion on the urgent need to weaken Hezbollah.

“If Hezbollah is not controlled today it will ultimately govern Lebanon” Avital told the press saying she believed the Lebanese army had to confront the organisation itself. “We believe the Lebanese army is capable of accomplishing its mission. It has to be supported and strengthened by UNIFIL. Doubts over the capacities of the Lebanese army will only discourage it.”

“At the same time the International community should strongly support the Lebanese government,” declared the Labour MK who added that, in her opinion, Israel should take part in the rebuilding of Lebanon even though the destruction of infrastructures in Northern Israel will by itself cost a great deal to the state.

Answering questions on the results of the war against Hezbollah, Avital said she was confident of the IDF’s capacities although they failed to accomplish the goals set-out by the government at the beginning of the conflict.

“Had Israel continued the operations in South Lebanon it would have accomplished a greater part of its initial goals. We preferred however to work jointly with the international community.”

“We believe that force won’t help us solve our problems. Only negotiations can lead to a long-term solution,” said Avital who added that the unilateral pull-out policies were now out of the agenda. “Priorities have changed.”

War accomplishments

The deputy speaker of the Israeli Parliament said she believed two of Israel’s main achievements were the destruction of two thirds of Hezbollah’s missiles and rockets and that Israel showed that when attacked it would not hesitate to defend itself.

“Hezbollah evaluated that Israel wouldn’t react because its hands were tied with operations in the Gaza strip. We proved that image to be false.”

Avital welcomed the protests over the authorities’ failures during the conflict both on and off the war-field.

“We now need several enquiries to understand what went wrong on every level. Israelis were surprised by the war because they thought they wouldn’t have to face any more wars of survival. The Oslo agreements, the Arab peace proposal of Beirut in 2002, the strengthened democracy in Lebanon and the departure of Syrian troops led us to believe times have changed. This is why the Israelis were so shocked by this war.”

Moderate forces

Avital called for the “moderate forces of the Middle East to gather in a coalition.”

“This may not bring peace but it may enable coexistence,” she said.

Avital told journalists the EU was underestimating the Iranian threat, a “vital danger for Israel”.

During her visit in France the Israeli MK met with Deputy chairman of the French Parliament Eric Raoult, with the leaders of the France-Israel friendship groups within the National Assembly and the Senat Rudy Salles and Philippe Richert, with the vice president of the foreign affairs, defence and army committee Jean-Pierre Plancade and former president of the Foreign Affairs committee François Loncle.

Avital participated in the summer conferences of the French Socialist party at La Rochelle.