'France's refusal to acknowledge green passport is outdated' - assemblyman
He further said that Israel is the leading country in coronavirus vaccinations, and is beginning to reopen after lockdowns due to the effects of the vaccine.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFMeyer Habib(photo credit: THE NATIONALE ASSEMBLY - FRANCE)
French assemblyman Meyer Habib said Thursday that France's refusal to sign an agreement with Israel which will allow those with the green passport to enter the country is an example of "being stuck in an old way of thinking."Habib explained that he could retool the agreement Israel made with Greece for France, which will allow those vaccinated to travel between it and Israel freely.In an interview with i24NEWS, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he wishes to promote the green passport program with French President Emmanuel Macron."Benjamin Netanyahu's words are his alone, it's still early and France has no plans to make arrangements for both sides," the Élysée Palace responded. "If the green passport will be accepted, it will be on a European level, using a mandate given to the European commission."In response to this, Habib stated that he feels that it is unfortunate that France did not extend its hand to Israel to allow those vaccinated to visit."I was sorry to hear what was published about France's refusal to accept Israel's offer," Habib said. "It's quite unfortunate, seeing as how thousands of Israelis who have a French citizenship as French Jews cannot visit their loved ones for over a year."He further said that Israel is the leading country in coronavirus vaccinations, and is beginning to reopen after lockdowns due to the effects of the vaccine, while in France, "only about 6% of the population has been vaccinated."The Israelis have signed an agreement with Greece and Cyprus, and later with Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary – all of which are members of the European union," Habib continued.