FRENCH DIPLOMATS WANT TO LEARN HEBREW

But according to Daniel Pipes' Weblog, their motives are (surprise) cowardly and duplicitous:

Hebrew a Favorite Language at the Quai d'Orsay Yedi`ot Aharonot reports that young French diplomats are flocking to learn the Hebrew language, and for two main reasons: Tel Aviv is a great city in which to serve and, having served there, one's chances to be posted in Kabul or Baghdad are minimized. As the website "Politique arabe de la France" points out, this is despite Hebrew not being one of the ten obligatory "Oriental" languages a diplomat must master.