France told FM Cohen it’ll pass Israeli messages to Hezbollah to ease tensions — source

In her meeting with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Paris yesterday, France’s top diplomat Catherine Colonna committed to passing messages to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government in an attempt to calm tensions on Israel’s northern border, a French diplomatic source tells the Times of Israel.

Colonna stressed the “French availability to calm everyone down,” says the source. “We would pass messages to Hezbollah and other actors to moderate their positions.”

Colonna also told Cohen that France would “stand their firm ground” on Iran’s nuclear program. “We will keep a strong position in this regard,” says the diplomatic source.

According to the source, Israel’s judicial overhaul was not discussed. “It’s still an internal matter. It’s still in drafts mode,” says the source, noting that Paris does not want to interfere in Israel’s domestic issues.

Cohen also reassured his French counterpart that the the status quo will be preserved in the Tomb of the Kings in East Jerusalem. France is concerned that right-wing Jewish activists are pushing Israel to take possession of the site.