French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has denounced Israeli forces’ attacks on civilians in Gaza, particularly the vulnerable who are seeking aid.
Barrot described the attacks as “unacceptable” and a breach of international law.
“Eight decades since the United Nations came into being, we cannot accept civilians, especially desperate women and children, being targeted by Israeli forces during the distribution of aid. That is unacceptable,” he said, adding that France cannot remain silent on the situation.
Barrot was addressing a high-level international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the UN headquarters in New York.
France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting the two-day conference aimed at advancing a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question and implementing a two-state solution.
He said the growing number of attendees at the conference demonstrated a rising consensus within the international community to end the war in Gaza.
“The world community present here at the conference must make this event a turning point and transformational juncture,” he added.
Barrot described the two-state solution as the only viable and enduring settlement to the crisis, which is often triggered by small events that threaten global peace and collective security.
He said the time had come to settle this issue and move on to other, more pressing matters, as the world community’s reluctance to address the Israel-Palestine question has long hampered a possible solution to this decades-old problem.
Israel is building mass settlements in the contested zone as well as in areas designated for Palestinians. This alleged land grab must stop through the implementation of concrete measures.
“This war has lasted too long and must end,” Barrot said. “The guns must be silenced and give way to an immediate and lasting ceasefire. The suffering of civilians in Gaza must stop,” he added.
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