France's President desperately seeks world attention at Israel's expense.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy diminishes Israel to expand France's global role.

"Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and
judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge
the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge." (James 4:11)

Poor France ... yearning for the good 'ole days of the Napoleonic Empire.

As this week ends and a new one begins, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has graced the world stage with some profound observations that warrant extraordinary consideration.

Just kidding.

What he has done, however, is demonstrate that France -- desperate to be considered the new major player on the world stage after spearheading the events in Libya -- is willing to do or say anything it must to vie for that position.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in his anti-Israeli statements and apparent appeasement of the Palestinian Authority. The month of January has been a remarkable testament to the French government's anti-Israel bias.

Just today, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the so-called Quartet of Mideast negotiators is a failure and a new method for finding peace is needed.

Sarkozy expressed frustration at the "glacial immobility" between Israelis and Palestinians. Talks between the two have been stalled for more than three years

In an annual diplomacy speech Friday, Sarkozy called for the opening up of negotiations to new players, a specific timetable and a monitoring mechanism.

He took particular aim at the Quartet - "We must stop hiding reality ... The Quartet is a failure," he said. I don't suppose that's because France isn't leading the show? Hmm.

The Quartet is made up of the United States, United Nations, Russia and the European Union. France is a prominent player in both the U.N. and E.U.

Yesterday, President Sarkozy warned against any military intervention against Iran over its nuclear program, saying a strike on Iran would "trigger war and chaos in the Middle East."

France would "do everything to avoid a military intervention," he said, calling instead for "much stronger sanctions" against Iran.

I suppose the French believe a nuclear Iran is more preferable than the chaos of a strike by Israel to protect its existence.

I also realize that any comments regarding "anti-military intervention" -- as Israel is leading the military intervention pack -- can be translated as "anti-Israeli action on Iran."

Why should we be so critical of France? Let's ponder their recent record ... excluding the statements above.

Remember the "Open Mic" incident at the G20 Summit last November involving Sarkozy and Obama? The discussion began with Obama criticizing Sarkozy for backing a Palestinian request for membership in UNESCO.

Sarkozy then reportedly told Obama that he could not "bear" Netanyahu and thinks the Israeli premier "is a liar." Obama responded, "You're fed up, but I have to deal with it all day."

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45)

Justify speech as you will. Sarkozy's heart is apparent to all with an eye to see.

And just this month, a French legislator’s report on Israel's “apartheid” water policies described Israel's actions as “venomous." The report, a case study on “The Jordan Basin: Water as an Integrated Hinge of the Territorial Conflict and Security Question,” was a 20-page section in a more-than-300-page publication on “The Geopolitics of Water,” published by the French National Assembly.

The report goes on to slam Israel for the priority it gives to Jewish West Bank settlers over Palestinians during times of drought, as well as the “separation wall,” which it says provides Israel with control over groundwater access.

Watch for Sarkozy to attempt to position France as the new European leader world events, and watch for Israel being made the scapegoat for France's efforts. And while you are making these observations now ... remember what we were all told then:

"Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge." (Proverbs 14:7)