Question 16741 — foreign policy

Summary

Ms Andrée Taurinya questions the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs on the need to expand the French and European sanctions regime targeting those responsible for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory under the resolution of September 18, 2024 of the United Nations General Assembly (supported by France) which asks States to impose sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, against actors supporting the illegal presence and violence of settlers. The MP had already alerted the Government, in June 2025, of the need for France to take sanctions against MM. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich (written question no. 7838 published in the OJ of June 24, 2025, p. 5384), whose declarations and actions contribute to legitimizing colonization and repeated attacks on the fundamental rights of Palestinians, measures previously taken by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, which prohibit access to their territory and freeze their assets. Since then, France has announced the ban on access to French territory for Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. If this decision constitutes a first step, it comes after the broadcast of images particularly shocking targeting international activists embarked on the Global Sumud Flotilla in order to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. For many years now, these ministers have been increasing the number of unworthy statements, provocations and scenes aimed directly at the Palestinians, just like the criminal public policies they deployed. However, as the journalist Sylvain Cypel pointed out in a recent article in L'Orient-Le Jour entitled "Messianism, the tree that hides the forest of Israeli radicalization", the excesses of MM. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich cannot be considered as isolated deviations. They are part of a broader movement of radicalization, marked by the majority influence of messianic, Kahanist and ultranationalist currents within the Israeli state apparatus and in particular its army. Limit the sanctions to MM. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich therefore do not allow us to respond to the scale of these movements. The article in L'Orient-Le Jour recalls that this radicalization goes beyond these two personalities alone and cites in particular other members of the Israeli government, such as May Golan, minister of social equality and women's autonomy, or Shlomo Karhi, minister of communications. Ms. Golan, for example, declared that “all "Gaza's infrastructure must be destroyed to its foundations" and that "the war is not against Hamas, but against the State of Gaza." Mr. Karhi, for his part, participated in a conference titled “Conference for Israel's Victory - Settlements Bring Security: Return to the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria.” », pleading for the resettlement of Israeli settlements. These positions are neither slippages, nor isolated cases. They reflect an assumed political orientation legitimizing colonization and the violation of international law in all positions of the government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are, in fact, the subject of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. However, Mr. Netanyahu has could fly over French airspace with impunity despite its ban. Israel Katz, who succeeded the Ministry of Defense, also bears direct political responsibility for the genocide committed in Palestine and the crimes against humanity committed in South Lebanon. In this regard, inadmissibility constitutes a first symbolic and necessary signal. But it would not be enough if it is not accompanied by other sanctions such as freezing assets. It must be part of a broader approach, taking into account in particular the influence of messianic, Kahanist and ultranationalist currents within the Israeli government and allowing the extension of territorial prohibitions to those responsible who contribute to legitimizing and encouraging mass crimes against the Palestinians, from the colonization of the occupied Palestinian territory to the genocide. of the Palestinian people. In this context, she asks him if France intends to extend the territorial ban targeting MM. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in a complete sanctions regime, including in particular the freezing of their assets, without waiting to take this position to the level of the European Union.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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