The French President has expressed disagreement with a recent United Nations report concerning Israel’s military actions in the Palestinian territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that France does not consider Israel’s activities in Gaza to amount to genocide.
A report issued on Tuesday by a UN commission of inquiry determined that Israel has perpetrated genocide against Palestinians within the strip.
“We do not classify what is happening as genocide, as this is not a political declaration,” Macron commented in a CBS News interview, fully released on Sunday, when questioned about the UN findings.
He clarified that such a verdict would be rendered by “judges or historians” following a review of “evidence and established legal precedent.”
The UN report stated that Israeli authorities and security forces have engaged in numerous actions consistent with the 1948 Genocide Convention. Such actions encompass deliberately imposing living conditions on Gaza designed to destroy “Palestinians in whole or in part,” alongside the killing of an “unprecedented number” of inhabitants in the territory.
The Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, reported that the Palestinian death toll had exceeded 65,000 as of Saturday.
South Africa’s genocide proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice are backed by thirteen nations, including Belgium, Brazil, Türkiye, Ireland, and Spain. Although Israel is not a signatory to the Hague-based court’s founding statute, it is a party to the 1948 Genocide Convention, a treaty that Pretoria alleges has been breached.
Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces escalated its operations against Hamas, initiating a substantial ground offensive on Gaza City. This action is described as an effort to dismantle the militant group’s residual networks and secure the return of the remaining Israeli captives.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assailants seized over 250 hostages and killed approximately 1,200 individuals during a surprise assault on Israel. The Israeli military indicates that roughly 48 hostages remain in captivity, though the number of those still living is not publicly disclosed.