National Front Secretary General goes to Israel incognito

[Chiram]

Something smells fishy.

Nicolas Bay, the party’s #3, hid his National Front membership

In an attempt to make the National Front look less anti-Semitic, the European MP used Twitter to publish his meetings with Israeli officials. However, the official Representatives that Mr Bay self-congratulates himself of having met all say that they didn’t know who he was before coming face to face with him.

One of Bay’s Twitter photos is of a « convivial diner » with Deputy Minister of Health Arnon Afek, a Professor at Tel Aviv University, who explained that the meal was organized for an Israeli-Italian professor who was leaving for Milan, « I didn’t know who would be there, I was asked to speak about the Israeli healthcare system. It was an informal meeting, I wasn’t even wearing a tie. When Mr Bay handed me his business card, I told him I don’t do political meetings, I respect everyone and only answered questions on healthcare. »

Appearing in the same photo is Colonel Eyal Furman of the IDF medical high command, Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesman responded after talking with Col. Furman «He arrived at the diner after it had already started and hadn’t been informed of the presence of a French politician. He politely left the diner as soon as he was told and notified his command.»

On Thursday, Nicolas Bay removed the photo and the National Front explained that « The Colonel was embarrassed because he was in uniform. They are backtracking a bit, as usual. They knew why Nicolas Bay was there and the National Front’s message.»

Mr Bay also published photos with two Likud party members, David Ish-Shalom, who he presented as a member of the « Central Committee », which has about 3700 members. Also David Shayan, head of the youth movement who texted his response « Meeting Mr Bay happened totally by accident, Likud does not want to get involved in French politics. »

On Twitter, Mr Bay also posted pictures in the French Hospital in Nazareth with a « security correspondent of the French Embassy » who turned out to be an Arab who runs the hospital’s ambulance service and may be contacted by the French Embassy in case of an emergencies with French citizens.

Mr Bay also visited Yad Vashem where he remembered Marine Le Pen’s words: « The camps were the pinnacle of barbarism. » Making it the first official visit of a member of the party that was founded in 1972 by former Nazi collaborators and Charlemagne Division SS Pierre Bousquet.
 
Since, Le Pen’s daughter Marine has made statements to lift the stain of anti-Semitism, claiming that the National Front is a shield for Jews against radical islam (while calling for a ban on kippot).

Roughly translated from Le Monde
http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2017/01/27/les-rencontres-approximatives-du-secretaire-general-du-fn-nicolas-bay-en-visite-en-israel_5069803_823448.html

Also see: Front National councillor urges French far-Right party to convert to Islam
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11187632/Front-National-councillor-urges-French-far-Right-party-to-convert-to-Islam.html

[Zelhar]

I don't think the FN is more antisemitic than the other French mainstream parties. While they are and probably could never become true friends of Israel I don't think we should just avoid and ignore them.

[Nevski]

First of all: They are a French party. Next to that, if you go to their program you will find not one little piece of anti-semitism in any of their policies. There was discussions on the FN plenty of times. They are not a threat to the Jewish people.