Several of the candidates' electoral signs have been speckled with ink

By Hadi Yahmed, IOL Correspondent

PARIS, June 10 (IslamOnline.net) – French rights and civil society advocates vying in the European parliament elections under a pro-Palestinian platform are facing a vicious campaign from the extremist Jewish right, trying to depict them as a threat to France.

In addition to a smear campaign in media outlets, close to the Jewish lobby, the candidates had scores of their electoral signs and banners in Paris and its suburbs speckled with ink or torn, reports IslamOnline.net correspondent.

A cohort of pro-Palestinians French activists drew up the "Euro-Palestine Slate" so that the Palestinian cause would take center stage at the European theatre.

Their platform calls, inter alia, for ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians territories occupied in the 1967 war, a European boycott of Israel and the dispatch of multi-national protection force to the occupied territories.

Michel Gurfinkiel, a prominent Jewish leader, claimed on June 6 that the slate harbors deep hatred for Jews.

In an interview with the radio of the French Jews, he added that the list is sectarian-oriented and that its flag carries the color of Islam, green.

The group's green flag features a peace dove, an olive branch and the stars of the E.U. flag.

The Jewish leader also criticized the candidates' call for an end of the Israeli occupation, arguing such a call encourages terrorism.

He warned that Europe would brace for terrorist attacks similar to Madrid train bombings unless voting down the Euro-Palestine slate.

Counter-Campaign

More than five thousands of the slate supporters organized a huge gathering Tuesday, June 8, in the conference palace in Versailles, south of Paris, to counter the smear campaign.

The slate leader Dr. Christophe Oberlin described the gathering as the best answer to the vicious campaign launched by the Jewish lobby since the creation of the group.

The 52-year-old rights activist, who had worked as a surgeon in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressed that the campaign, which included the usual anti-Semitism charges, has not weaken their drive nor had it scared off supporters.

French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala, one of the prominent figures on the list, renewed his criticism of the Zionist Lobby.

Addressing the gathering, he said they never suspected the pro-Israel lobby was that strong, but pledged not to be terrorized by the pressure.

On Friday, April 2, a French court fined M'Bala 10.000 dollars and convicted him of inciting ethnic hatred after criticizing the Israeli policies in one of his performances.

Other candidates highlighted the terrorist records of Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon's government since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 until the latest Israeli aggression on the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.

The Israeli military offensive on Rafah and its refugee camp, the bloodiest of its kind in years, has claimed the lives of up to 62 Palestinians, flattened 155 homes and drove some 2000 residents homeless.

The international human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, had dismissed the Israeli operations as "war crimes".

The gathering, held under watertight security measures, featured Palestinian and Moroccan music and pro-Palestinian banners both in French and Arabic.

Observers believe the slate has managed to garner support from the public opinion because it has as members several pro-Palestinian heavyweight Jewish figures.

Chief among the slate signatories are Mirelle Cherechevsky, the daughter of Rabbi Ibraham Cherechevsky, Jean Claud Ponsin, Roger Salamon and Maurice Rajsfus, the descendent of a French Jewish family.