The enthusiastic hero’s welcome he received from cheering crowds in the West Bank town contrasted sharply with the aura of tension that surrounded his visit in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, Chirac became the first foreign head of state to address the Palestinian legislative council.
“A Palestinian state is not in any way a danger to the security of anyone,” he said, adding that it was indeed the only way to ensure a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians.
Chirac also sounded other themes that put him squarely at odds with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Changes on the ground in Jerusalem, like confiscation of land and demolishing houses, must stop,” he said.
“There must be economic freedom in Palestine, which means putting an end to the closure” that Israel imposed on Palestinian workers after a series of Hamas suicide attacks in Israel earlier this year.
Chirac, who has stated that he wants Europe, France in particular, to serve as co-sponsors of the Middle East peace process, said he saluted the U.S. role in the peace process.
But he added that the process was “losing its breath” because of a loss of trust that the United States would act as an impartial mediator.
“I see the European and French role in building more trust,” he said.
In Washington, the State Department announced Wednesday that it had sent letters to European foreign ministers politely thanking them for their efforts on behalf of the peace process, but asking them to let the United States continue in its role as sole mediator.
State Department officials said they had already received a response from French diplomats indicating that France planned to continue seeking a leading role as a broker of regional peace.
A day before traveling to Ramallah, Chirac got into an altercation with Israeli security guards during a visit to Jerusalem’s Old City.
Chirac snapped angrily at the security guards, who forced Arab well-wishers away from him while forming a protective ring around the Frenchman.
Netanyahu later apologized at a joint news conference with Chirac for what he described as “perhaps excessive zeal in trying to protect a friend.”
Netanyahu explained that Israel had adopted a high level of security for visiting foreign leaders since Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination one year ago.
Chirac said he considered the matter closed.
Despite the apology, Netanyahu made it clear that he did not support granting France the greater role it seeks in the peace process.
“The solution between the parties has to be achieved by the parties themselves,” he said at the news conference.
But Chirac stuck to his guns.
“If there is anything I can do to promote a better understanding between the different partners in this region, I will do it with all my heart,” he said.
Chirac arrived in Israel after talks in Damascus with Syrian President Hafez Assad.
The French leader attended a brief session of the Knesset convened Tuesday in his honor, but he did not address the Knesset.