France rejects “forced displacement” of Gazans to Egypt
France’s foreign minister said on February 5th that he rejects any “forced displacement” of Gazans to Egypt by Israel, according to AFP.
Beginning his first Middle East tour as foreign minister, Stephane Sejourne addressed his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in a joint press conference.
Addressing Cairo’s concern over Israeli ministers’ proposals to forcibly displace Palestinians into Egyptian territory, Sejourne stated: “We perfectly understand these concerns, and on this point, France’s position remains the same: we condemn and will reject any action taken in this direction.”
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Since Hamas’ October 7th attack on southern Israel, the Israeli military has launched an indiscriminate bombing campaign on Gaza, including a ground invasion, and has been accused of intending to ethnically cleans the area of Palestinians.
Egypt has warned against a “forced transfer” of Gazans into its Sinai Peninsula and has effectively closed its border with Gaza.
While millions of displaced Gazans have sought safety in Rafah, the strip’s southernmost city bordering Egypt, Israel has increased attacks on the border town as it seeks to “eliminate Hamas militants.”
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Sejourne told Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, of France’s desire for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and to restart discourse regarding an Israel-Palestine two-state solution.
Since 2007, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have led rival administrations in Gaza and the West Bank, the latter under the PA’s President Mahmoud Abbas.
The minister said that recognition of a Palestinian state would mark “the finalization of a political process,” adding: “The whole question is when, at what moment and under what conditions,” he continued, adding that Gaza would be “attached to the future Palestinian state.”
AFP
