French consular agent indicted for smuggling guns from Gaza to West Bank

A French consular agent is indicted in an Israeli court for involvement in alleged arms trafficking from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.

Romain Franck, 23, who worked as a driver for the French Consulate General in Jerusalem, is accused of having used his diplomatic immunity from searches at border crossings in order to transport dozens of weapons, working with a network of Palestinian traffickers, the Shin Bet says.

Franck allegedly trafficked the arms for money, without the knowledge of his employers, using a consular vehicle.

He would receive the arms from a Palestinian worker at the French Cultural Center in Gaza, cross the Erez border crossing into Israel, and then drive up the West Bank, where he would sell the weapons to traffickers, the Shin Bet says.

In all, he is accused of transferring some 70 pistols and two automatic rifles in five trips to Gaza in the West Bank.

Nine people, including a Palestinian security officer at the Consulate General, have been arrested in the case, the Shin Bet says.

The Shin Bet does not cite any pro-Palestinian political motivation on Romain’s part, saying that he “acted for money, on his own and without the knowledge of his superiors.”

Still, it says, “he cynically exploited immunity and privileges granted to foreign representatives to engage in trafficking of dozens of weapons likely to be used against civilians and members of the Israeli security forces.”