In an op-ed, former Doctors Without Borders president Rony Brauman, La France Insoumise MP François Ruffin and Green Party national secretary Marine Tondelier call on Emmanuel Macron to support International Criminal Court investigators's entry into Palestinian territories.

We call on the French president to support urgent entry of International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators into Gaza, in order to put an end to impunity. It must be possible to establish the facts and responsibilities of the belligerents in their conduct of the war impartially and objectively. France must lend a hand to the ICC investigators, as it is already rightly doing in Ukraine.

Ending impunity is a moral and political imperative. It involves reminding the belligerents of their legal obligations, and reminding them that ignoring these cannot remain without consequences. Pressure must be brought to bear in every possible way for an immediate ceasefire, necessary in order to put an end to the suffering of Palestinian men, women and children trapped by the bombing, as well as Hamas civilian hostages in captivity.

Israel's refusal to ratify the ICC treaty is not an obstacle to the law. Palestine has declared that it will submit to international law. Since 2021, the ICC has had jurisdiction in the occupied territories and Gaza. The challenge is ensuring that it has access to  investigate. France's request for the ICC to enter Gaza would make our country audible again on the international stage, particularly in Arab and emerging countries. This should be accompanied by a demand for an immediate ceasefire and a real lifting of the blockade.

Audible on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on the 2003 American intervention in Iraq, this unique voice has unfortunately faded over the last 15 years. Our image is now that of a power that selectively applies standards and principles of law and democracy that it nevertheless claims to be universal.

Cautionary double standards

France's policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict prior to October 7 has largely contributed to this negative image. Our policy is incantatory and ineffective. It doesn't drive any of the practical levers at its disposal likely to influence Israel's policy of colonization and discrimination against the Palestinian population.

France's lack of influence has become even more pronounced after October 7. Even if the two contexts cannot be compared in every respect, there are cautionary double standards between our policy toward Ukraine since the Russian invasion and our policy on Palestine.