French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that France would be intransigent when it comes to protecting the security of Israel, but he said that France would demand with "equal force" a state for the Palestinian people.
Speaking on Sunday to tens of thousands of supporters at a massive electoral campaign rally in Villepinte near Paris, Sarkozy said: "France will be intransigent on defending the security of Israel which is a miracle of will and democracy. France will demand with equal force a state for the Palestinian people."
He said that France had a major and unique role to play on the world stage, underlining its leadership in the international effort to topple former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
“When French airplanes flew over the martyr city of Benghazi, I knew then that France was honouring its history”.
He also demanded the opening of humanitarian aid channels in war-torn Syria, and said that Syrian "assassins would be held accountable" for their crimes.
Earlier this week, the president-candidate promised that if re-elected his second foreign visit would be to Israel and the Palestinian territories to push a European peace initiative.
"I hope that France, and behind France all of Europe, take the initiative so that 2012 can be the year of peace between Israel and the Palestinians," Sarkozy said, in a television interview on his re-election campaign.
Sunday's rally came just days after after the 56-year-old Sarkozy said he would quit politics for good if not re-elected in the vote on April 22 and May 6.
Sarkozy has so far failed to narrow the gap with Hollande -- who has enjoyed a clear opinion poll lead for five months -- and this week pulled out all the stops to revamp what many critics say has been a lacklustre campaign.
In a marathon three-hour television interview last Tuesday on France2 public television, he declared that there were too many immigrants in France and that the country's attempts to integrate foreign arrivals into its culture and society had become paralysed.
That statement came as French Jewish and Muslim leaders united to complain they were being used as pawns in a presidential election increasingly dominated by bitter disputes over national identity and ritual slaughter.
Sarkozy picked up on a debate about halal meat -- initially launched by the anti-immigrant National Front leader Marine Le Pen -- and declared that its spread in butchers' shops was a major problem for the French.
That fuelled accusations that he is pinning his hopes on catching up on Hollande -- in what is shaping up as a clear two-horse race -- in winning back voters who lean towards the National Front.
Others accused him of being sidetracked by minor issues at a time when France is struggling to generate growth and to escape the eurozone financial crisis.
Hollande, who has never held a ministerial post and whose ex-partner Segolene Royal lost to Sarkozy in 2007, this week pressed home his attacks on his rival's record in five years at the Elysee palace.
He mocked Sarkozy's plan -- announced Tuesday -- to slap a new tax on the profits of listed companies which he said would bring in up to three billion euros ($3.9 billion) a year to help cut the public deficit.
Sarkozy has been accused of favouring the rich, but in recent weeks has tried to dispel that image by announcing he wants to ban big pay-offs to corporate bosses and to hit big firms with more tax.
Hollande for his part has declared that the "world of finance" is the adversary and said he wants a 75 percent tax rate on annual income above one million euros.
The Socialist branded Sarkozy's immigration plans -- he wants to cut the number of new arrivals from 180,000 per year to 100,000 a year -- "stupid".
An OpinionWay-Fiducial opinion poll on Thursday forecast that Hollande would take 29 percent of the vote in the first round of the election, with Sarkozy at 26 percent and Le Pen in third place with 17 percent.
Hollande would romp home in the second round with 56 percent, well ahead of Sarkozy at 44 percent, the poll said.