A Tel Aviv-themed summer party planned in Paris this week has drawn ire from pro-Palestinian advocates, who accuse the city's council of sanctioning an event which whitewashes human rights abuses in Israel.
The Tel Aviv on the Seine event is scheduled for August 13 and is one of several themed days during Paris Plages, the annual month-long transformation of the French capital's quaysides into artificial beaches.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For some Parisians, however, particularly those on the political left, the decision to pay tribute to the Mediterranean city's beach scene is tasteless in the wake of Israeli settlers' arson attack on a Palestinian home last month which killed a father and a baby. They, in return, have been accused of anti-Semitism.
Paris's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has received a petition signed by more than 5,000 people demanding the cancellation of the event. Danielle Simonnet, a city councillor from the left-wing Parti de Gauche, is leading the charge to cancel or "radically modify" the planned festivities.
Simonnet said in its current form, Tel Aviv on the Seine was "the height of indecency" and expressed disbelief the programme did not include any debate or acknowledgement of the Palestinian conflict.
In an interview on radio station France Inter, Simonnet argued that holding such an event appeared to "champion the party atmosphere of Tel Aviv" while "colonisation intensifies in Israel".
However, she was careful to state she did not intend to conflate the citizens of Tel Aviv with the settlers who have carried out violent attacks against Palestinian homes in the West Bank.
Despite the detractors, the city council insists the event will go ahead. Deputy mayor Bruno Julliard spoke out in defence of Tel Aviv on the Seine, tweeting: 'No confusion between Tel Aviv, a town symbolic of tolerance and peace, and the brutal policies of the Israeli government!'.
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
5 hilariously chilling cartoons about Trump’s plan to invade GreenlandCartoons Artists take on misdirection, the need for Greenland, and more
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
