France urges Israel to respect international law, abandon 'endless wars'

The French foreign minister has called on Israel to respect international law and abandon what he called "endless wars" in the region.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Jean-Noel Barrot said it is the government in Tel Aviv that must change its policy, reiterating a proposal to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is still on the table.

Criticizing Israel's April 8 strikes on Lebanon that killed more than 300 people, he warned of a risk of a prolonged occupation of the country.

Israel has killed at least 2,124 people and injured nearly 7,000 in a deadly offensive across Lebanon since March 2.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous conflict between October 2023 and November the following year.

On the situation in Gaza, the foreign minister denounced the lack of humanitarian aid flow, which "is not getting in nearly enough and is not reaching the Gazan and Palestinian population who desperately need it."

Barrot also reacted to Israel's "unacceptable" financial blockade on the occupied Palestinian territory and denounced "the acceleration of illegal settlement activity" and "the explosion of violence perpetrated by extremist settlers with complete impunity."

He added that a third package of sanctions targeting "extremist and violent settlers" at the EU level is currently "on the table."

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the West Bank have killed at least 1,133 Palestinians, wounded about 11,700 others, and led to nearly 22,000 arrests, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.