France said today it was still waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to explain a call for French Jews to emigrate immediately to Israel.
A day after France put on hold an invitation for Mr Sharon to visit Paris until he explains his comments, France and Israel said the row arose from a misunderstanding, and an Israeli official said Israel was preparing to offer "clarifications".
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said France wanted to move on from the dispute to focus its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East on seeking peace.
"We are waiting for explanations," Mr Barnier said, but he sought to avoid making any comments that would worsen the dispute.
"I am not going to engage in polemics over a planned visit by Mr Sharon which is just a plan at this stage. . . . What is true is that there has been a serious misunderstanding," he said.
He made clear France was upset because it considered Mr Sharon, who urged French Jews to escape "the wildest anti-Semitism", had not paid enough attention to French efforts to fight anti-Semitism and had misrepresented the situation in France.
"The comments questioned the very principles [of equality] of the . . . French republic," Mr Barnier said.
Israel also made clear it wanted to end the dispute. Mr Avi Pazner, an Israeli government spokesman and former ambassador to France, said: "This is a misunderstanding between Israel and France which is caused by cultural differences."
