Fluctuating positions of France after October 7th

Mehr News, International Group: Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa storm operation, France has followed oscillating positions towards the Zionist regime and the Palestinians. After the attack by Hamas, Paris expressed its political and military support to Tel Aviv along with other major European countries. At the same time, he opposed the decisions of the Zionist regime about the future of Gaza. At the institutional level, while trying to deal with Hamas within the framework of the European Union, Paris, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has tried to agree to a cease-fire in Gaza. At the international level, France is trying to play an independent role from America. At the same time, after the increase of the Zionist regime’s attack on Lebanon, Paris demanded to stop sending weapons to the Zionist regime.

France and the Palestinian conflict, Zionism before the seventh of October

France was one of the first countries to recognize the Zionist regime in 1949 and has been defending the right of this regime to exist and live in security for more than 7 decades. does As well as a large French community in the occupied territories, France is also home to Europe’s largest Jewish community. In the economic field, in 2021, France was in the sixth rank of economic partners of the Zionist regime. On the other hand, until the war of June 1967, France had unhesitatingly supported Tel Aviv.

French positions after October 7; Full support for the Zionist regime

One ​​of the most important approaches of French foreign policy in the Gaza war is full support for the Zionist regime. Immediately after the attacks by Hamas on October 7, the French declared their full support for the Zionist regime in several joint statements with England, Italy, Germany and the United States. France’s support for the Zionist regime is rooted in the distancing of the governments of this country from the policies of the Chirac era, which were aimed at balancing the relations between the Arab world and the Zionist regime during the Sarkozy, Hollande and Macron eras. Although the French authorities opposed decisions such as the forced migration of the population of Gaza, the construction of settlements in Gaza and East Jerusalem, which were proposed by the occupying regime officials such as Smurtich and Benguir, but Paris has been one of the most important arms supporters of this regime.

According to the report of the French Ministry of Defense, in 2014-2022, this country has issued 767 weapons export licenses worth 2.5 billion euros to the Zionist regime. The value of French weapons to Tel Aviv in 2013-2022 amounted to 207 million euros. Reports also show that France sent about 100,000 rounds of Gatling machine guns to the Zionist regime at the end of October 2023. Also, according to Middle East Eye report in October 2023, the proportion of French citizens or French-Zionists who are in the army of this regime is around 1.7 to 3.5 color:white”> is the percentage of the total forces. Therefore, French citizenship is the second citizenship in the Zionist Army after American citizenship.

Positions of France at the level of regional and international organizations

The leaders of France in the last few decades do not expect to play a role as a top actor, considering the deepening of relations between Arab countries, especially in the Mediterranean area, with the United States. However, they emphasize two tools to play a role as one of the main players. First, the UN Security Council, where France can have a wide influence on decisions as a permanent member of the Security Council. Second, the European Union is where France plays a role as one of the leaders of foreign policy. These two tools become important in line with the two basic principles of attention to multilateralism and the formation of a multipolar world. It should not be ignored that France has shown a dual policy in the course of its foreign policy regarding the Gaza war.

Security Council

France was the first major Western government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Despite the fact that France did not present a draft for the Gaza war in the Security Council until the beginning of April, it supported the resolutions of Brazil and the United Arab Emirates that called for a ceasefire. Of course, these resolutions were vetoed by America. Paris also voted in favor of the resolutions of Jordan and Egypt in the General Assembly. In April 2024, France proposed a draft resolution in the Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire between the warring parties and the immediate release of all Zionist prisoners under the control of Hamas and other groups. In this draft, Paris condemned the October 7 operation.

European Union

At the beginning of the Gaza war, France, together with Germany and Italy, in a letter to the European Union’s foreign policy official, stressed the need to take necessary measures against Hamas and its supporters. In this letter, “Europe’s strong commitment to combat the infrastructure and financial support of Hamas, while at the same time trying to isolate Hamas at the international level” was emphasized. On the other hand, with the escalation of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Gaza, the French officials have stressed the condemnation of Hamas attacks and the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in various meetings of the European Union and in meetings with the Union officials.

Not participating in the American coalition in Yemen

After Yemeni attacks on the interests of the Zionist regime in the Red Sea, which led to America’s decision to form an anti-Yemen coalition, France refused to join it. Although Paris shot down Yemeni drones in the Red Sea in December 2023 and President Emmanuel Macron supported greater cooperation between EU member states in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea at the European Council meeting in January 2024, but in the coalition airstrikes American did not participate against Yemen.

Different positions in Lebanon

For the past few months, France has displayed a different policy from Palestine, with the Zionist regime focusing on the northern borders and air attacks on Lebanon. France insists on the implementation of Resolution 1701 in the war between Tel Aviv and Beirut. It is also necessary to mention that 700 French troops are currently present in Lebanon in the form of UNIFIL peacekeeping forces. The importance of Lebanon for France is such that the President of France, on the eve of the first year of the war, demanded to stop sending weapons to the Zionist regime.

Result

After October 7th, 2023, France has followed swing positions centered on supporting the Zionist regime. While supporting the Zionist regime, Paris is trying to play different roles than the United States in various developments in the region, including the Lebanon war.

Sajad Moradi Kalardeh; Researcher of international relations