In an interview with the French daily Le Monde published on Saturday, France’s Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, blames the Israeli authorities for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and for “unjustifiable” situations.
“Responsibility for the blockage of aid is clearly Israeli”, stresses Stéphane Séjourné, noting that the catastrophic humanitarian situation “creates indefensible and unjustifiable situations for which the Israelis are accountable”.
France has redoubled its efforts with the Israeli authorities to increase the number of crossing points and humanitarian trucks.
But these “have not been met” and “famine is adding to the horror”, deplored the head of French diplomacy, who visited the region a month ago.
His comments come after a humanitarian aid distribution turned tragic on Thursday, when Israeli gunfire and a stampede left 115 people dead, according to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
On Friday, Stéphane Séjourné called on France Inter radio for an independent inquiry to shed light on the tragedy.
Asked how France and other countries could influence this conflict, the Minister stressed that “everyone has their own levers”.
As far as France is concerned, “recognition of the Palestinian state is an element in the peace process that must be used at the right time”. “The right moment will be evaluated at the right time”, he added.
He cited the leverage of the question of normalization with Israel for Saudi Arabia or military support from the United States.
“We’re not the ones who can impose an arms embargo,” he said, noting that “it’s a combination of elements that must be used in a coordinated diplomatic fashion”.
With AFP
