Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) is slated to fly to Paris next week, where he will address an event honoring a former senior official of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). According to a report by Kan Tuesday morning, however, the KKL-JNF’s French branch, which had been planning to host the event, has capitulated to pressure by left-wing groups, and is now seeking to back out of hosting the gathering. The KKL-JNF is now requesting that the organizer of the gathering, the group Israel is Forever, remove the KKL-JNF’s logo from invitations and advertisements for the event. “The KKL-JNF has no connection whatsoever to this event, and it is not responsible for inviting Smotrich to Paris,” the organization was quoted as saying. Officials from the KKL-JNF said it was important to distance the organization from Smotrich, in order to avoid criticism from French Jews. Smotrich is not expected to make a state visit during his time in France, with no meetings planned with French government officials.