September 2, 2011 – New York -- AJC praised former peace process envoy Valérie Hoffenberg of France for her bold statement this week opposing the Palestinians’ unilateral bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations this fall and encouraging a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks.

“The evidence is overwhelming that President Abbas’s attempt to bypass talks and seek unilateral recognition will be a blow to peace,” said David Harris, AJC executive director. “Valérie Hoffenberg’s recent comments – which we join our colleagues in CRIF, the French Jewish umbrella body, in viewing as ‘courageous’ – underscore the importance of France and other key countries discouraging the Palestinians from pursuing a strategy that will destroy trust and undermine a two-state solution.”

In a personal statement issued Monday in Israel, Hoffenberg called the Palestinians’ UN campaign “dangerous, unjustified and counter-productive,” adding: “Only a return to bilateral negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians will help advance peace.”

On the same day, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman announced the end of Hoffenberg’s service as Special Representative of France for the Economic, Cultural, Commercial, Educational and Environmental Dimensions of the Middle East Peace Process. 

Before joining the ministry in 2009, Hoffenberg was director of AJC France.