France will not probe citizens who enlisted in Israeli army

France will not conduct investigations into soldiers of French origins serving in the Israeli army, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said yesterday, Anadolu agency reported.

Responding to inquiries regarding potential investigations into the actions of French-Israeli citizens who have enlisted in the Israeli military, Lemoine underscored the principle of dual citizenship, emphasising the notion of “dual loyalty”.

“You know that dual citizenship implies dual loyalty, so, we will not investigate what French-Israeli citizens do regarding their military obligations in Israel,” he told journalists at a news conference.

Pressed on whether French-origin Israeli soldiers would face trial in France for any potential crimes committed against Gazans, Lemoine was noncommittal.

“This is a somewhat forward-looking question,” he said, “because if I understood your question correctly, they have not yet committed these crimes, so if they do commit these crimes and it is proven, I will answer you when the time comes.”

Highlighting the critical importance of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, Lemoine characterised the situation as “dreadful”. He expressed satisfaction with the World Food Programme’s delivery of aid to the northern Gaza Strip, advocating for the opening of entry points to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

He condemned attempts by far-right Israelis to obstruct the delivery of aid to Gaza, saying any such hindrance must be unequivocally denounced. Additionally, he condemned violations of international humanitarian law in Palestine, including acts of colonialism and hate speech by Israeli ministers.

Commending the initiative to establish a temporary port for humanitarian aid to Gaza, the French spokesperson stressed the urgent need to expedite the delivery of a substantial amount of assistance to the region.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced the entry of six WFP aid trucks into northern Gaza in an agreement with the US administration. The convoy was the first humanitarian aid convoy to reach the northern areas of Gaza since 20 February.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, and over 73,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities in an Israeli onslaught launched in October last year.

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