France bans tear-gas deliveries to Israel

Though most Arab nations have condemned Israel during its 11-week
struggle against the latest Palestinian "intifada," or uprising, and
have called for boycotts against the Jewish state, few Western nations
have responded to the call -- until now.

Yesterday, Israeli and French officials confirmed reports that Paris
has decided to ban shipments of tear-gas grenades and launchers to
Israel due to the Jewish state's use of deadly force in the frequent
Palestinian confrontations with and attacks on Israeli targets. Reports
say 330 people -- most of them Palestinians -- have died in fighting since
the violence erupted Sept. 28.

Last month, the French daily Le Monde reported that France's CIEMG
state arms export licensing agency requested the ban. The report was
echoed yesterday by French foreign ministry officials, Israeli news
sources said.

Yesterday, Le Monde reported that Israeli government officials were
bitter about the French government's decision. Israeli officials said
that France was using "doublespeak" to urge Tel Aviv not to use deadly
force to quell Palestinian riots while refusing to sell the Israeli
military non-lethal weapons.

TRENDING: Joe and his scissors

Currently, the Israel Defense Forces use U.S. tear-gas equipment. But
the French models are preferred, IDF officials say, because they have a
much greater range -- 200 meters -- and allow IDF soldiers to remain out
of range of stone-throwing Palestinians.

The ability to remain at a greater distance reduces the risk of being
struck by a stone and having Israeli soldiers respond with deadly
automatic-weapons fire, IDF officials said.

The banned Israeli shipment contained an undisclosed number of
tear-gas grenades and launchers. Had the equipment been successful in
reducing Palestinian morbidity, the IDF had already planned to order an
additional 100,000 launchers, Israel army radio reported.

France, which has traditionally been sympathetic to the Palestinians,
is the world's leading producer of non-lethal weaponry -- developed over
the course of Paris' long history of its own social unrest.