March 21, 2025
Thank you Madam President.
France thanks the Special Coordinator for her report. The picture is bleak : almost 10 years after the adoption of resolution 2334, a landmark resolution in our view, almost everything has worsened and the region is experiencing a seemingly endless catastrophe.
Our Council had the opportunity to discuss this situation yesterday and the day before yesterday, or rather two of its most tragic dimensions : the harrowing fate of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, and the tragic fate of the people of Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive.
France’s position is well known and I will reiterate it in a few words :
1 – Nothing can justify the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on October 7. France condemns them absolutely.
2 – As President Macron has said on a number of occasions, Israel has the right to defend itself but in accordance with international humanitarian law and with the knowledge that there is no military solution in Gaza.
3 – The January agreement provided a prospect with its three phases including the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the resumption of humanitarian aid and the initiation of discussions on the future. 42 days brought the promise of change. Since Israel resumed its blockade of humanitarian aid and launched a new campaign of massive bombing, terror and death have once again taken hold in Gaza. The reason given by Israel to justify its turnabout does not add up : the delays in the release of the hostages cannot justify the punishment of an entire people.
4 – That is why we are once again calling for the release of all the hostages, with dignity, and for the return of the bodies of the deceased. Hamas must do this and spare the world the sinister staging to which it subjects the released hostages. What does it gain, other than to demonstrate its contempt for life in a spectacular way?
That is why we call on the Israeli government to resume humanitarian aid unconditionally, to cease the bombings, to stick to the logic of negotiations, however slow they may be, by ceasing to respond to cruelty with an outburst of violence. For our part, we stand alongside the countries, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, who are working tirelessly to get Hamas to resume the releases and the Israeli government to return to the logic of January.
5 – However, Madam President, the Council must not turn a blind eye to the other reality pointed out in the Secretary-General’s report and reported to us by Ms. Sigrid Kaag, in accordance with resolution 2334. In rereading the text of this resolution, and specifically its operational paragraphs, in light of current Israeli policy, we realize how far off target we are.
The colonisation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank is not stopping. It is intensifying and becoming increasingly violent; it is taking place with the active participation of the Israeli security forces.
The law must prevail, and its has been reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion of July 19 : Israel must cease all settlement activity in the occupied territories because it is illegal. As the occupying power, Israel has the duty to prevent the violence committed by extremist settlers and to protect Palestinian civilians, to preserve the historic status quo over the Holy sights, in a word to prevent anything that brings it closer to the de facto annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories. Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said it today : France is opposed to any form of annexation, whether it concerns the West Bank or Gaza.
6 – It is required by law, but also by political logic. The spiral of violence which has been set in motion since October 7, the culmination of a gradual deterioration in recent years, not only destroys and kills innocent civilians, it also fuels hatred on both sides, distancing them from any prospect of peace. Who can reasonably think that an agreed solution will emerge from this nightmare ? Who can think that a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can succeed when minds are prisoners of this cycle of violence ? It is this logic of escalation and denial of the other that must be broken.
7 – For this reason, for months, France has been working with all countries, primarily Arab countries, to find a mechanism that, based on the starting point of a ceasefire under the terms of January, will resume the dialogue.
The international conference on the two-state solution was requested by the General Assembly on December 3, by an overwhelming majority. France is working actively with Saudi Arabia on the preparations. At the same time, we are placing our hopes on the conference for the reconstruction of Gaza that Egypt is organizing with the Arab League.
8 – Finally, Madam President, it is the duty of our Council to strongly reaffirm that the UN, our common home, must be respected. France expresses its concern following the strikes that hit UN buildings. The attack caused several casualties, including one death. Two French nationals, employed by the United Nations, were seriously injured. France extends its condolences to the UN, to the victims, and to their families. It recalls that UN facilities and personnel must be absolutely protected against attacks.
Furthermore, France calls for a cessation of baseless allegations according to which the UN, its organizations, and its agencies are failing in their mission to protect the most vulnerable, to uphold the law, to provide relief to victims, and to condemn acts of terrorism or violations of humanitarian law.
The UN is carrying out its mission, its staff are doing their best, too often at the cost of their lives. Let us ensure that all these sacrificed victims, Israeli, Palestinian, UN workers, will not have died in vain.
Thank you.