Pressure mounts on France to halt military sales to 'Israel'
4 Min Read
Opposition MPs have persistently questioned government officials regarding France's ongoing military exports to "Israel".
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A view of the rubble of residential buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, October 10, 2023. (AP)
Opposition parties and activists are urging the French government to reassess its arms sales to "Israel" in light of the real-time genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. They advocate for France to follow in the footsteps of other European countries that have suspended military exports to "Israel" due to humanitarian concerns.
Additionally, French company Eurofarad, accused of complicity in war crimes against Palestinians, is now under the ownership of Exxelia Technologies. Israeli occupation forces employed Eurofarad missiles in an incident resulting in the killing of Palestinian children from the Shuheibar family.
The children, Fella, 8, Wassim, 9, and Jihad Shuhaiber, 10, were feeding pigeons on the roof of their home in the north of the Gaza Strip before a rocket fired from an Israeli drone hit them and abruptly ended their lives at these young ages. The tragedy also saw their cousins Bassel, 9, and Uday, 16, suffering serious injuries and being taken to the hospital.
The killing of the Palestinian children took place on July 17, 2014, amid an Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territory, which had kicked off ten days earlier. The operation, masked as "Protective Edge", was in fact an aggression on Gaza that lasted for nearly two months, during which at least 2,310 Palestinians were killed.
The Shuheibar family filed 2016 a complaint against Exxilia Technologies, a corporation responsible for one of the components used in the missile that the IOF killed the little children.
In a related development, a dedicated unit focused on crimes against humanity has initiated an inquiry into allegations of "complicity with war crimes" at a court in Paris. Last summer, various members of the Shuheibar family were reportedly questioned as part of this investigation.
Not an isolated incident
The Shuheibar case is not an isolated incident. Several French defense firms, including Dassault, Thales, and MBDA, are facing accusations of "complicity in war crimes" for their involvement in arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, engaged in the aggression on Yemen.
The Shuheibar case raises significant questions in light of the current Israeli aggression on Gaza, especially following the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) recent interim measures and the forthcoming verdict. French companies are under scrutiny for exporting weapons or "dual-use" equipment to "Israel" that could be employed in military operations.
Macron urged to stop arms sale to "Israel"
Jean-Claude Samouiller, the head of Amnesty International in France, penned an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, urging the suspension of all arms sales and military equipment deliveries to "Israel".
Opposition Members of Parliament have persistently questioned government officials regarding France's ongoing military exports to "Israel". Mathilde Panot, the president of the LFI parliamentary group, recently queried Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on whether France was supplying arms to "Israel" and advocated for the halt of any such sales.
“Has France continued providing weapons to [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu? Mister minister, can you say with certainty that no French military component is being used in Gaza in any war crime that is being committed? When will you declare an arms embargo?” she questioned, noting: “[Charles] de Gaulle did it [in 1967]. Emmanuel Macron must do it.”
She also requested the French Foreign Minister to furnish a catalog of weapons and other equipment supplied to "Israel".
“Concerning weapons, I will revert back to you to give you a number, because I don’t have it here,” Sejourne answered.
This is occurring as the Israeli genocide in Gaza persists, resulting in the killing of more than 29,410 and injuries to at least 69,465 since October 7 amid unwavering support from the US and its allies.
