Chirac Encouraged Olmert to Attack Syria

Filed under: Iran, Israel, Syria — Michael van der Galien, Editor-in-Chief on March 19, 2007 @ 11:00 am CET

The Jerusalem Post has an highly, highly interesting article up. It seems that Jacques Chirac urged Israel to attack Syria last summer, and not Lebanon. If Israel would do so, it would have the full support of France.

According to Chirac, not Iran but Syria “is the main one responsible for Hizbullah’s armament in Lebanon”.

Ed Morrissey has a great post up about this. His main point: Israel attacked the wrong country last year. Chirac was right: Israel should not have invaded southern Lebanon, it should have invaded Syria and removed Assad from power.

Olmert didn’t want to do what he had to do: Israel fought half-heartedly. It should’ve gone in full force. Now, looking back, one might, indeed, argue that it would be even best for Israel to have invaded Syria. On the other hand, if Israel would have invaded Syria, the need for determination and conviction would have been even more: if Israel would have fought against Syria like it fought against Hezbollah, half-heartedly that is, it would be a total disaster.

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1 Interested

March 19, 2007 @ 3:27 pm CET

Good thing Israel didn’t. For France would have said something to the effect like - “oh you mean you took us seriously?” Iran would have beefed up Syria thinking (correctly) that the US would have been the only ones to have supported Israel, and we simply did not have the troops to spare in a fast fashion. Which of course, even if we did have the troops to support Israel, France would have then stated the US should keep it’s nose out of the region.

Israel would have been left alone, with even less International support than it had to begin with.

Of course the Anti-Israel U.N. hasn’t exactly cared - to this day - if Israel gets it’s kidnapped soldiers back - have they.

2 mvdg

March 19, 2007 @ 4:42 pm CET

Yeah, it’s quite unbelievable, isn’t it?

I don’t completely agree with your take on this: I think that, despite what many Americans think about the French, the French would have supported Israel if Israel would have done what France suggested.

3 mvdg

March 19, 2007 @ 4:44 pm CET

And let me just add that France is, of course, a powerplayer in Europe. It would have made other EU countries more supportive of Israel as well.

That being said, take note that I don’t say in my post that Israel should have invaded Syria. It could very well be argued though.

4 Interested

March 19, 2007 @ 5:05 pm CET

I agree that Syria is the problem child in the neighborhood. But France is for France. They would have changed their minds if the U.N. nations frowned at them, I think Israel would have been left hanging in the wind.