Former France Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine employed an age-old antisemitic trope during an interview on Europe 1 CNews on Sunday, in which he accused Jewish “settlers” in Judea and Samaria of poisoning wells.
“The behavior of the most fanatical Israeli settlers is absolutely monstrous. In the West Bank, settlers uproot olive trees, poison wells, shoot kids,” the former Socialist politician declared on the weekly interview show “Le Grand Rendez-vous.” He was foreign minister from 1997 to 2002.
« Le comportement des plus fanatiques des colons israéliens est absolument monstrueux. En Cisjordanie, des colons qui arrachent des oliviers, qui empoisonnent les puits, qui flinguent les gamins », déclare Hubert Védrine #LeGrandRDV #Europe1 pic.twitter.com/7Kp3OyJnRD
— Europe 1 (@Europe1) March 3, 2024
In Medieval Europe, Jews were accused of trying to kill Christians by poisoning their wells. When the Black Death raged through Europe in the 14th century, Jews were accused of intentionally spreading it through drinking water. Thousands of Jews were killed as a result of these accusations.
French journalist Clément Weill-Raynal tweeted in response to the antisemitic post: “Hubert Védrine takes up the old medieval accusation of poisoning of wells by Jews. As for the rest, the number of Jewish victims of Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria is much greater than that of Palestinians attacked by Jewish inhabitants.”
