Israeli “conquest” of Gaza strongly condemned by France
The latest plans for the Israeli army to complete a full-scale “conquest” of the Gaza strip have been “very strongly” condemned by the Foreign Minister for France.
According to Saudi news agency Asharq Al-Awsat on 6th May, Jean-Noel Barrot described the latest plans as “unacceptable” and “in violation of humanitarian law”.
Relations between France and Israel have been souring over recent months as the Macron administration has begun to seek regional support the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
As well as seeking support for a two-state solution from Middle East states, France has been convincing UK politicians to pressure senior ministers within the Labour government to support a two-state solution and recognise the Palestinian state.
Such measures have been successful and it has been reported that France will officially recognise the state of Palestine during an international conference taking place in New York in June 2025.
Macron believes that the statement can be met with wide-spread support from international actors.
However, despite France moving to recognise Palestine, Israel is showing no signs of slowing down their attacks on Gaza and – as recent plans reveal – they are intent on the full-scale conquest of Gaza.
The latest reports released by Israel’s security cabinet reveal the months long, attritional break down of the Gaza strip, with forces focusing on taking individual areas one at a time.
Speaking in April, the Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted that Israel’s policy in Gaza remains clear: “No humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population,” he went on to add that, “no one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid.”
The actions of the Israeli government in the Gaza strip continue to be condemned by France as well as many other nations across the world.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi, The Guardian
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