Muslim Religious Leaders in Paris: Israeli Government Policy and Families’ Words Reflect Supreme Effort to Aid the Innocents

Muslim religious leaders joined Christian religious and cultural leaders day before yesterday (2/11) for a rare gathering at the European Jewish Cultural and Academic Space (ECUJE) in Paris.

During the meeting, in which family members shared their stories, the Muslim religious leaders stood out, expressing their sorrow over the families’ suffering and fury at Hamas’ crimes. In their words, Hamas’ intention was to arouse feelings of revenge among the Israeli public. “Feelings of revenge are not expressed at all in the families’ words. Moreover – this is also true of the Israeli government’s policy, which makes a supreme effort to protect the lives of innocents.”

The special delegation of hostage families’ representatives in Paris continued day before yesterday (11/2) meeting leaders of French organizations and opinion leaders to advocate for the hostages’ release.

The families met with the French Foreign Ministry’s Director for Middle East Affairs, asking him to apply pressure through diplomatic channels to politically isolate Hamas, influence additional countries to indict them legally and demand the International Committee of the Red Cross reach the hostages in Gaza to examine them medically.

Last night the families met with two very significant French opinion leaders – TV presenter Arthur and singer Patrick Bruel – and asked them to share the families’ stories, the hostages’ stories, and the unbearable situation with the French public. In a moving gesture, singer Patrick Bruel sang “When the Heart Cries” with the families.

In a meeting with the central French Jewish organization, the CRIF, the need arose to continue the Jewish community’s significant activity pressuring the government and influencing French public opinion to support bringing the hostages home.

At a conference organized by the Israeli Bar Association together with the French Bar, attended by lawyers from around the world, the families presented their stories and requested all participants’ intervention in promoting lawsuits against Hamas and legal recognition of their crimes against humanity. Here too the need to pressure the International Committee of the Red Cross arose.

The families met in the afternoon with Chabad rabbis in Paris, who mobilized to convey messages and apply pressure through relevant factors for returning the hostages, medically treating them, and influencing French public opinion. The Chabad rabbis used their connections with Chabad emissaries in Switzerland to contact the International Committee of the Red Cross on behalf of the families