'France shocked and offended by Sharon remarks'

"We have been very surprised and shocked by the Israeli Prime Minister's declarations which seemed to us unjustified, excessive and out of place," she told a news conference as she wound up a visit to the Baltic states in Tallinn.

Relations between France and Israel have plummetted in recent days after Sharon called on all French Jews to leave the country immediately to escape "wild" anti-Semitism.

Alliot-Marie said France did more than any country to combat anti-semitism, and described Sharon's attack as "totally abnormal."