- Home
- Israel Hamas War
- Séjourné in Israel for Gaza and Lebanon Truce Talks
©(Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN
/ AFP)
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné met with his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz on Tuesday, as part of a 24-hour visit to Israel, the final leg of a regional tour that has already taken him to Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Séjourné's visit to Israel comes at a time when ongoing Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation brings hope for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, along with the release of hostages. This ceasefire is also expected to extend to Lebanon, with the French minister carrying a roadmap for a ceasefire along the southern border with Israel.
In Israel, discussions with Katz focused on the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, as well as the military offensive in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the necessity of this offensive, but France opposed it.
According to a diplomatic source, Séjourné reaffirmed "France's support" for Israel and "its disagreements," particularly with the offensive planned in the city of Rafah, which has become a refuge for 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war, according to the UN.
France has also discussed with Israel its draft resolution at the UN – announced in early April – "which includes strong Israeli demands, such as the qualification of October 7 as a terrorist act, the sexual violence committed that day, as well as the conditions for a political solution to the conflict," according to a French diplomatic source to AFP.
The French minister was also scheduled to meet with some Israeli political figures, as well as representatives of the families of hostages held in Gaza.
On Monday, Séjourné stated on X that he had met with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Riyadh, as well as "authorities from many countries to continue working towards a lasting truce around the Gaza conflict."
With AFP
Séjourné's visit to Israel comes at a time when ongoing Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation brings hope for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, along with the release of hostages. This ceasefire is also expected to extend to Lebanon, with the French minister carrying a roadmap for a ceasefire along the southern border with Israel.
In Israel, discussions with Katz focused on the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, as well as the military offensive in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the necessity of this offensive, but France opposed it.
According to a diplomatic source, Séjourné reaffirmed "France's support" for Israel and "its disagreements," particularly with the offensive planned in the city of Rafah, which has become a refuge for 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war, according to the UN.
France has also discussed with Israel its draft resolution at the UN – announced in early April – "which includes strong Israeli demands, such as the qualification of October 7 as a terrorist act, the sexual violence committed that day, as well as the conditions for a political solution to the conflict," according to a French diplomatic source to AFP.
The French minister was also scheduled to meet with some Israeli political figures, as well as representatives of the families of hostages held in Gaza.
On Monday, Séjourné stated on X that he had met with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Riyadh, as well as "authorities from many countries to continue working towards a lasting truce around the Gaza conflict."
With AFP
This Is Beirut
Comments