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In 2001, diplomat Daniel Bernard (1941-2004) came to public attention when, as French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, he was quoted as referring to Israel as a "shitty little country. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. " He was accused of antisemitism by the Israeli government and various commentators, and was moved to a post in Algeria soon afterwards. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility

Contents

Reported remark

Bernard was appointed French ambassador to the United Kingdom in early 2001. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, in December 2001, Bernard referred to Israel as "that shitty little country Israel," and blamed it for the ongoing unrest in the Middle East. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The remark was reported to have taken place during a conversation with Conrad Black of the Daily Telegraph at a private dinner party Black was hosting. Conrad Moffat Black Baron Black of Crossharbour PC, KCSG, OC, (born 25 August 1944, in Montreal, Quebec) is Bernard's comment was then later repeated in an article written by Black's wife, Barbara Amiel, in the Daily Telegraph. Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour (born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England on December 4, 1940 Bernard's press secretary stated, "He does not deny the remarks, he just says first of all what he said was distorted. "[1]

Bernard's response

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, 22 December 2001, [1] Bernard wrote, 'Over the past few days, I have been the subject of grave accusations because of a comment I am reported to have made during a conversation with Lord Black. The facts are: while we were discussing the Israeli-Palestinian issue, I pointed out to Lord Black that this tragedy was taking place in a geographically limited area (I even specified that it was the equivalent of three French departments) that for 40 years had been suffering from a conflict whose equitable solution seems more out of reach than ever. Of course, I never meant to insult Israel or any other part of that region. The deliberately biased presentation of this conversation in some circles, accompanied by malicious accusations, is deeply shocking and insulting. '

Reaction

The British press saw a firestorm as a result, as comment on the 23 December 2001 in the Daily Telegraph exemplifies. [2] One British journalist, Deborah Orr did defend Bernard. Deborah Orr is a British Journalist and broadcaster. She is married to Writer and Satirist Will Self. In contrast, the French press saw the incident radically differently, while recognising that Bernard was a flamboyant character (Le Monde 2 May 2004). [3] His obiturary in Le Monde in 2004 also illustrates the same points.

Bernard was reassigned to become France's ambassador to Algeria in July 2002. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's He died in April 2004 while serving in that post, at the age of 62.

References

  1. ^ Irish Examiner, as cited below.

External links

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