Question 4278 — foreign policy

Summary

Mr. Boris Tavernier draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the PAUSE program of the Collège de France and more particularly to its Gazan laureates. Since 2017, the PAUSE program has allowed researchers living in countries devastated by war to join French laboratories for a year. This allows them to improve their skills before returning home to contribute to the reconstruction of the academic world once the conflict has calmed down. This also allows French researchers to collaborate with these foreign universities during this reconstruction. This program brings together within its steering committee the ministries of Europe and foreign affairs, the interior and culture as well as major players in the higher education and research community. Gazan teacher-researchers fill the eligibility criterion for the PAUSE program, the 10 universities in the Gaza Strip having suffered bombings since October 2023. Professor Husam Al Najar, whose house was also bombed in October 2023, became the first winner of the PAUSE program by signing a contract with the IRD on December 28, 2023. This contract provided for him to join the PRODIG laboratory from February 1, 2024. However, he is still at Deir al Balah in the Gaza Strip. 49 other Gazan researchers and artists were then selected by the PAUSE program. All those who were in the Gaza Strip during their selection are still stuck there to this day. Since May 1, 2024, France has expected the Israeli authorities to issue an exit permit for PAUSE program recipients stuck in Gaza. France systematically requests an exit permit from Israel for everything Palestinian national in Gaza whom it wishes to welcome, whatever the status of this reception. However, these Palestinians in Gaza are not Israeli nationals and do not live in Israeli national territory. The passage through the Rafah Gate, in particular, concerns Egypt since France then takes Gazans through Egyptian territory, whom it then welcomes, but not Israel. As it stands, what are the elements motivating the French authorities to systematically request an exit permit from Israel in the case of winners of the PAUSE program? More broadly, noting that all of the Gazan winners of the PAUSE program who were in the Gaza Strip during their selection are still stuck there to this day and that, for all of the PAUSE winners, only 4 families saw each of their members receive a permit exit, questioning the arbitrary nature of the allocation of these permits, he asks what are the avenues envisaged by France to ensure its commitments to the winners of the PAUSE program and their families, as well as their security through effective repatriation to French territory.

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