From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 7, 2024
French FM says time ‘ripe’ for deal to end Middle East conflicts
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After the election victory of Donald Trump, conditions are ripe for an end to the wars in Lebanon and Gaza, says French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot between meetings in Jerusalem with outgoing Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
“On the one hand, the very significant tactical successes obtained by Israel, and in particular the elimination of Yahya Sinwar, the architect of this ignoble massacre, favor the end of military operations,” says Barrot, speaking in French to cameras outside the Foreign Ministry. “On the other hand, a new American president has been elected. He has never made a secret of his desire to end the interminable wars in the Middle East. The conditions therefore seem to me to be ripe for moving, in the coming weeks, toward a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflicts.”
He says he is discussing with Katz and Dermer a diplomatic agreement that will lead to “a strong, sovereign Lebanese state, with a monopoly on legitimate force, which will be able to live in security alongside Israel.”
Barrot also accuses Israel of violating international law by “the continued bombing of northern Gaza against civilian populations and infrastructure, the restrictions on access to humanitarian aid, the violence of extremist settlers in the West Bank, the rapid increase in settlements, the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, the delegitimization of the United Nations and its main agency on the ground.”
He stresses that “the Palestinian question will not disappear, regardless of the American administration in charge.” Barrot is meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustapha later today.
Barrot also has harsh words for Iran and praises the recent Israeli strike: “The Iranian attack on October 1, which we helped to ward off, like the one in April, was unacceptable. Israel had the right to respond: it did so with force, but also with moderation. The escalation must now stop. And Iran must end its race toward nuclear weapons, which threatens the fundamental interests of Israel and France alike.”
