France suggests sanctions on Israel to get aid into Gaza

France’s foreign minister said today that pressure, and possibly sanctions, must be imposed on Israel to open crossings to get humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, Reuters reports.

“There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross check points,” Stephane Sejourne told RFI radio and France24 television

“France was one of the first countries to propose European Union sanctions on Israeli settlers who are committing acts of violence in the West Bank. We will continue if needed to obtain the opening of humanitarian aid,” he said.

Some 33,207 Palestinians have been killed in the six months since Israel launched its brutal bombing campaign and complete siege of Gaza, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said yesterday. Most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people are homeless and many face a “man-made famine” as Israel continues to restrict the entry of vital food, water and medical aid.

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