Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum invited French president-elect Francois Hollande to visit the Gaza Strip, “to see firsthand the tragedy and suffering of its residents,” the Walla news website reported Tuesday.
Barhoum also called on Hollande to make the Palestinians a national priority and to respect the Palestinians’ democratic choice of Hamas.
Hollande, from the left-leaning socialist party, won a tight race for the presidency of France on Sunday, narrowly beating out incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. He enjoys wide support from far-left parties in France and his victory caused French Jewish groups to worry that anti-Israel groups would gain a boost from his presidency.
Though Western leaders often visit Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, they rarely venture into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. While in office, Sarkozy lobbied on behalf of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held in Hamas captivity in Gaza for over five years.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
