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00:00 in the Middle East. This is blind violence of an unprecedented brutality.
00:06 Faced with this situation, many questions arise legitimately in our country,
00:14 as well as concerns. In this context, I felt it was useful and necessary to hold this debate on
00:22 the situation in the Middle East. I know that most of you wished for this debate to take place.
00:29 I cannot speak without coming back to the facts. On last October 7th, a barbarous terrorist attack
00:40 was carried out by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad against Israel. Hundreds of civilians were
00:46 massacred. These were abject crimes that were committed against them. Every day, we learned
00:53 about more and more atrocities. Savage murders of young people at a festival in the desert,
01:00 horrors committed in kibbutz at Bari, Faraza and Rime, women, children, old people
01:10 kidnapped or brutally murdered. In total, about 1,400 people were killed in these terrorist
01:18 attacks in the month of October. Two American hostages have been liberated, but more than
01:24 200 people are still held hostage. Among the victims, 30 of our compatriots were killed,
01:31 and seven are still reported missing. This attack cannot be compared to the violent episodes that
01:40 we have previously seen in this region, unfortunately. But this barbarous attack
01:45 ordered by Hamas shows that there is a real change in scale and nature of the violence.
01:52 This was a complex, premeditated action targeting Israel and its population at their very heart.
02:00 Before I continue, I wanted to come back to these events. As the President has said,
02:10 and as I have said here in this room, I wanted to say again that I am completely
02:18 in solidarity with Israel as they face this difficult time.
02:22 I have special thoughts for our French victims and those who are missing, for those who are,
02:38 for their loved ones and their family. We support them throughout this ordeal.
02:46 To minimize or justify or absolve terrorist acts would be to accept that these terrorists
02:53 strike again tomorrow in Israel, in France or elsewhere. There can be no room for ambiguity.
03:00 The President of the French Republic has affirmed this forcefully. Israel has the right to security.
03:08 Israel has the right to defend itself within respect of international law.
03:16 And those who call for the right of Palestinians to their own state
03:22 as a justification for this attack are committing a moral and strategic error.
03:27 This does not serve the Palestinian cause. Let us be very clear.
03:40 Palestinians are not Hamas. Hamas is not the Palestinian people.
03:46 The Palestinian Authority is our legitimate interlocutor and they are calling for peace.
04:00 Hamas, acting as it did, has deliberately exposed in a criminal and cynical manner
04:07 the entire population of Gaza. They use the population as a human shield in acting this way
04:14 and they thus create difficulties or obstacles to peace, which all the Palestinians aspire to.
04:24 When we talk about the thousands of victims in Gaza and the terrible humanitarian crisis
04:35 in Gaza, we must not forget the scope of the crisis facing Gaza today. Families are broken.
04:44 It is a tragedy and tragedies cannot be addressed with varying stances. We must take the same
04:57 view of all tragedies. There are no lives that are worth more than other lives.
05:04 The tragedy, the catastrophic number of victims have given rise to indignation around the world.
05:15 We will always speak about our political opinions. That is the principle of the democratic debate. We
05:25 can speak to our differences here, but we must speak responsibly. Collectively, we must be
05:35 measured and we must take some distance from the situation. As I say this here today,
05:54 I affirm that we support and that our government supports and that the
06:00 chairman of the National Assembly supports Israel.
06:24 After the horrible accusations that have been made against it,
06:29 members of parliament, since October 7th, the President of the Republic has been in close
06:36 contact with the Israeli authorities with a key message. Israel, of course, has the right to defend
06:44 itself against terrorism. Civilians must be protected. Any military response must take
06:52 account of international law, including international humanitarian law. Civilians must not pay for
06:59 terrorist crimes. Our country is very well aware of the cost of terrorist attacks.
07:09 We reaffirm strongly that in the fight against terrorism, we will never give up.
07:21 Democracies must have the right response to terrorism. Even in the most difficult
07:27 combats, we must never lose sight of what makes us a democracy, our values, the respect for the
07:33 state of law, including international humanitarian law. Our friendship and our solidarity with the
07:39 people of Israel means that we must make this appeal. Israel should not fall into the trap of
07:47 Hamas. Thousands of Palestinians have died in Gaza, including many children.
07:53 The inhabitants of Gaza are in an extremely serious situation.
07:59 A million people displaced cannot be forgotten. I am not forgetting them. But in this context,
08:07 the government is mobilized on several fronts, and in recent days we have taken urgent and
08:13 immediate steps, as required. This debate should take place in all dignity, please.
08:29 First of all, we have been acting from the outset for the safety and security of
08:38 our citizens. At the Foreign Ministry, we set up a crisis group. Our embassy and our consulate in
08:48 Tel Aviv and our consulate in Jerusalem are working day and night to support the families
08:56 of French people who have been reported as missing or who have been killed in the attacks.
09:02 Our embassies in the region, Beirut, Amman and Cairo, are also on high alert.
09:08 Of course, we are taking special care of the families of those who have been reported missing.
09:14 Last Friday, the President, as well as our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colana,
09:20 met with the families of the missing French citizens. We are supporting them.
09:29 With regard to these hostages, I would say most solemnly that we are taking all necessary steps
09:35 for their immediate and unconditional release. Of course, I cannot say more at this time. You
09:40 will understand why, because negotiations are ongoing. We are working with the French community
09:45 on site to provide support. In two weeks, we have enabled 3,600 French citizens to leave Israel
09:57 using civil aviation and the support of our army to bring them back to France.
10:02 There are citizens stuck in Gaza in very precarious situations. The Minister of Foreign
10:09 Affairs has spoken with many of them over telephone, as she did while she was visiting the region.
10:14 We are deploying all efforts so they may leave the Gaza Strip.
10:22 French diplomats, military personnel and civil servants are doing their best,
10:27 and I would like to pay them homage for all of their efforts in this region.
10:32 France has been mobilized to help the population of Gaza. In Gaza, we must not underestimate
10:43 the scope of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. They do not have access to basic services,
10:51 water, food and fuel. No one can remain indifferent to this humanitarian crisis.
10:59 When we look at the number of people who have died, we must not forget that these are families,
11:08 women and children. How can we measure the severity or the consequences?
11:14 Every time a civilian dies, it is a failure for the international community. We cannot
11:20 abandon the population of Palestine. We must remain in solidarity with them,
11:26 and nothing can question that solidarity that we share with the Palestinian people.
11:31 This is why we are asking for a humanitarian pause, which would allow for the immediate access of
11:41 water, food and fuel, as well as humanitarian aid to Gaza. This should take place under the
11:50 auspices of the UN, and the security of humanitarian workers must be guaranteed.
11:56 Two convoys have made it through Rafah gate. However,
12:05 in fact, everything remains to be done in order to supply the necessary aid to the civilian
12:12 population. The Rafah opening is still very limited. We call for a wider opening of the
12:19 Rafah gate so that more convoys can go through. As Catherine Colonna said in Cairo this weekend,
12:26 the distribution of aid calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, which we call for as quickly as
12:35 possible. This is an important point. I say this to counter propaganda, in particular from Russia.
12:45 France did support the Brazilian resolution at the UN in this sense,
12:52 specifically in order to advance discussions at the UN Security Council.
12:59 We want to bring an end to this violent period as quickly as possible. France has always supported
13:07 Palestinian civilians. More than 100 million euros of aid in 2022 went to Palestine for water,
13:17 health, education and farming sectors. Faced with the current situation, as the President has said,
13:25 we have decided on an extra 10 million euros in aid. Soon, we will be sending a plane with
13:32 humanitarian aid to support the people of Gaza. In addition, the EU, the prime supplier of
13:40 humanitarian aid for Palestine, has decided to triple the amount of its humanitarian aid to Gaza.
13:54 Two flights have brought more than 50 tons of food to the borders of Gaza.
14:01 We will be holding meetings to further specify the aid that Europe can provide.
14:08 I would like to take advantage of this moment to answer some questions that have been raised
14:14 recently. It is legitimate to ensure that our humanitarian aid does not fall into the wrong
14:22 hands. And yet, let us not make hasty judgments based on biased visions. Procedures set up to
14:36 avoid any misuse of our aid, used by Hamas or the Islamic Jihad, these terms of control are very
14:44 strict and clearly respected. With the agreement of the international community, including Israel,
14:52 we supply aid under approved conditions. And our aid is supplied through UN agencies,
15:00 focused on specific needs, as I pointed out. They are controlled also by the Israeli
15:06 administration itself. This is the case for our aid and the aid supplied by our partners.
15:12 Ladies and gentlemen, the third pillar of action for France is the mobilization to avoid
15:16 regional escalation. Since the 7th of October, the President of France, the Minister of Foreign
15:24 Affairs and the Minister of Defense have multiplied exchanges with their counterparts in the region.
15:31 These exchanges are ongoing. Catherine Colonna went to East Jerusalem, to Lebanon, to Egypt.
15:40 She went back to Cairo last Saturday to participate in a peace conference. And the
15:45 President of the Republic will be going to the region tomorrow, carrying with him our
15:51 proposals for avoiding escalation. More broadly, France is mobilizing for a sustainable solution,
15:58 setting up a political process for a two-state solution. Because we know that the fight against
16:06 terrorism must not overshadow the search for peace. There can be no sustainable peace
16:13 for Israel, Palestine and the region without a political perspective for the people of Palestine.
16:20 The solution is clear. Indispensable guarantees for the safety of Israel
16:35 and a state for the Palestinians. This is the line that France has been defending
16:40 constantly and that we will continue to defend. Sustainable security for Israel,
16:47 a fight for eradication of terrorism in the region and respect for the legitimate aspirations of all
16:56 must be included together. We have a special responsibility in this region.
17:04 The normalization of relations between Israel and other states in the region is something that we
17:10 wish for. This could help reply to the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis.
17:17 We have a very big responsibility, which we accept. France can speak to all of these nations.
17:24 We are friends of Israel, we are friends of Palestinians and we are friends of Arab nations
17:30 in the region. We have an independent position, which we have always assumed fully. We can act as
17:36 a pivot. We can help advance the peace process. Ladies and gentlemen, Members of Parliament,
17:42 the situation in the Middle East is complex, difficult and has led to terrible catastrophes,
17:51 as we have seen in recent days. It has severe consequences on international security
17:58 and each country sees the results of this. In this context, France has a singular voice,
18:06 a voice that comes from a long history and that comes with responsibility. We demand for
18:16 justice. We have demands for the respective international humanitarian laws and we will
18:23 continue to speak out. We must not give up. The only solution is peace. Thank you very much.