France and Israel will seek to open a new chapter in their relations today, leaving behind a bitter row over anti-Semitism to focus on talks about the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet French President Jacques Chirac for lunch and talks both sides are eager to see go well after ties were strained last year when Mr Sharon urged French Jews to escape anti-Semitism by emigrating.
The comments led Paris to put on hold its invitation to Mr Sharon to visit until he explained himself, which he did.
"The French government and Mr Chirac have made a big effort to fight against anti-Semitism," Mr Sharon told Le Mondenewspaper in an interview published today.
But he reiterated his call for Jews to emigrate to Israel. "I am not only inviting Jews from France to come but Jews around the world."
France is home to Western Europe's biggest Jewish and Muslim communities and many anti-Jewish attacks have been blamed on Muslim youths angry at the situation in the Middle East.
Mr Chirac's government has cracked down on anti-Semitism after a wave of attacks in recent years. The Interior Ministry said on Monday the number of anti-Semitic acts in France fell sharply in the first half of this year from the same period in 2004.
In today's talks Mr Sharon will seek greater French support for efforts to disarm Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Palestinian militants threatening to disrupt Israel's planned Gaza pullout next month.
A senior Israeli official said continuing violence despite a five-month-old truce barred more progress from being made on a road map to peace backed by the Quartet of Europe, the United States, United Nations and Russia.