Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Doha – The French Foreign Ministry announced plans last week to pursue legal action against any French-Israeli dual nationality soldiers who may have engaged in war crimes in Gaza, according to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The announcement came after pressure from lawmakers in the left-wing France Unbowed party, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
The move was prompted by the circulation of unverified videos on social media appearing to show Israeli soldiers committing illegal acts against Palestinian prisoners. One 45-second video depicts five individuals in Israeli uniforms overseeing blindfolded prisoners in white overalls with their hands bound.
In the gruesome video, a man speaking French behind the camera insults the prisoners, saying “Did you see those motherf*****s, my nephew, those sons of b****s?” He then points out that one prisoner had urinated on himself, laughing as he says “You’ll laugh – they tortured him to make him talk. Did you see his back?” The video shows scars on the prisoner’s back.
The video first appeared on a WhatsApp group for French Jews. A Palestinian journalist named Younis Tirawi, who had access to the group, identified the young man who posted the video as also being the one who filmed it. Tirawi then shared the alleged soldier’s identity with his 115,000 followers on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), according to Haaretz.
In response, France Unbowed lawmaker Thomas Portes reported the video to French prosecutors as evidence of “complicity in war crimes and acts of torture.” He also publicly named the individual Tirawi had identified.
However, the Union of Jewish Students of France stated that the accused young man lives in a Lyon suburb, has never been affiliated with the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), and has never been to Gaza. The young man has reportedly received death threats after being named.
Haaretz reports that following pressure from Mélenchon’s party, Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Christophe Lemoine clarified France’s jurisdiction over crimes committed abroad by French nationals, including in the ongoing devastating war on Gaza.
“French justice has jurisdiction over crimes committed by French nationals abroad, including in the context of the ongoing conflict,” Lemoine stated in a press conference.
According to Haaretz, France Unbowed lawmakers have been urging French authorities to investigate alleged war crimes by French-Israeli forces since December. In a letter to the justice minister, Portes wrote that “the participation of French nationals in these atrocities casts a shadow on France.”
The party has also called for revisiting a 1959 agreement between France and Israel outlining the military obligations of dual citizens. The agreement allows French-Israelis to be conscripted into the Israeli forces regardless of residency. Haaretz cites a 2018 report by the French newspaper Liberation estimating that over 4,000 Israeli soldiers hold French citizenship.
France Unbowed’s leader, Mélenchon, has faced criticism for refusing to designate Hamas as a terror group after its deadly attacks on Israeli civilians starting October 7th. He also did not attend a Paris ceremony in February honoring the 42 French victims who were in Israel during the attack.
Haaretz notes that last month, France sanctioned 28 Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, barring their entry into France. The U.S. and Britain have taken similar actions.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow full humanitarian access to Gaza. Macron also expressed opposition to the IOF’s targeted operations in Rafah, where currently millions of displaced Palestinians are taking refuge.
The French Foreign Ministry’s declaration follows a statement by South Africa earlier this month vowing to arrest any South African citizens serving in the IOF in Gaza upon their return home.
As Israel continues its devastating campaign against civilians in Gaza, the potential legal ramifications for dual nationals fighting in the besieged enclave will likely remain a point of contention and scrutiny, underscoring the complex geopolitical tensions at play. The French government’s pursuit of accountability, even for its own citizens, marks a notable diplomatic stance.
Read also: Outrage Erupts Over Footage of Israel Killing Unarmed Palestinian Civilians
