UN chief calls for ‘viable two-state solution’ to Israel-Palestine conflict

from al Jazeera

Dozens of ministers have gathered at a United Nations conference to urge the world to work towards a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, but the United States and Israel have boycotted the event.

The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025.

Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran.

Addressing the attendees on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urged all countries to support the conference goal of a roadmap laying out the parameters to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel’s security.

In opening remarks, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric.

“It can and must serve as a decisive turning point – one that catalyses irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realising our shared aspiration for a viable two-state solution.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the conference: “We must work on the ways and means to go from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at a time when this war is jeopardising the stability and security of the entire region.

“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative.”

France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron said last week.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called on all countries to “recognise the state of Palestine without delay”.

“All states have a responsibility to act now,” said Mustafa at the start of the meeting.

The meeting comes as Israel’s war on Gaza still rages after more than 21 months.

The war was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 and seizing more than 200 others as captives, according to Israeli statistics.

Since then, Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the besieged territory...

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France committed to recognizing Palestinian state despite tensions

from Daily Sabah

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday that France remains committed to recognizing a Palestinian state, despite rising regional tensions following Israel’s military strike on Iran.

France would "uphold the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination by recognizing the State of Palestine," Barrot said during his speech at the civil society event, "Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security," hosted by the Paris Peace Forum.

"I say it again here: whatever the recent developments in the region, France is determined to do so."

Barrot warned that it is time to bring a political solution to the Palestinians and that they will focus on it during the upcoming UN-backed conference on the two-state solution, co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia in New York later this month...

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France's war on truth: Why Mahdieh Esfandiari’s arrest, mistreatment should alarm us all

from PressTV

The arrest and incarceration of Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari in France is not an isolated incident but reveals a consistent and deliberate pattern of politically motivated crackdown against those who dare to speak up for truth and justice. 

This pattern goes beyond censorship. It exposes the double standards in France’s approach to free speech: weaponized to serve the Empire and suppressed when used by the marginalized.

Back in 2015, the publication of blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the controversial magazine Charlie Hebdo sparked massive outrage across the Muslim world. 

Let France create Palestinian State in French Riviera: Huckabee

from al Mayadeen English

US Ambassador to "Israel" Mike Huckabee has strongly criticized France's push for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, labeling the efforts as "revolting", in a Sunday interview with Fox News.

“It’s incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with to go out and present something that I think increasingly Israelis are steadfast against,” Huckabee stated, adding that "If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I have a suggestion for them – carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state."

The Ambassador stated that Washington would not participate in an upcoming conference in New York, led by France and Saudi Arabia, which aims to advance the establishment of a Palestinian state later this month.

Israeli officials have been clashing with French President Macron after his announcement earlier this month that France is set to recognize a Palestinian state within the coming months, where he said, "We must move toward recognition, and we will do so in the coming months."...

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Hundreds hold protest rallies in Paris against pro-Israel gala organized by far-right figures

from PressTV

Hundreds of people have held protest rallies in Paris against a gala organized by far-right figures to raise funds for the Israeli military, which has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip in a genocidal war since October last year.

Demonstrations, involving several hundred people, were held in the French capital of Paris on Wednesday against a contentious gala organized by far-right figures in support of Israel aimed at raising funds for the occupying regime’s military.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a vocal advocate of Israeli settlements, was also invited to the gala as a guest, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from local associations, unions and left-wing political parties, prompting two protests in Paris. 

The protests took place just before a high-profile soccer match at France's national stadium against Israel’s soccer team, amid heightened tensions over the regime’s brutal wars on Gaza and Lebanon. French authorities have already said that over 4,000 police officers and 1,600 stadium personnel will be on duty for the event...

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France wants to ‘shut down’ Telegram – Russian human rights chief

from RT

French authorities arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov because they want to shut down the censorship-free platform, Russia’s top human rights official, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said.

The Russian tech mogul – who is also a citizen of France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis – was arrested after his private jet landed at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday. The French authorities said an official statement would be made on Monday. Local media has reported that prosecutors believe Durov had failed to curb the use of his platform by criminals.

Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Moskalkova argued that “the real reason behind Pavel Durov’s arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram, the platform where you can find the truth about world affairs.” The persecution of Durov angers “everyone who supports the freedom of speech and the creation of the multipolar world,” she added...

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Israeli defence minister rejects French plan towards defusing border tensions with Lebanon

(Anyone working to resolve these conflicts is considered hostile by the corrupt leaders in Israel who are keeping the conflicts going in order to remain in power.)

from al Jazeera

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ruled out joining an initiative promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron in which France, the United States and Israel would form a contact group to work on defusing tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon.

“As we fight a just war, defending our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel,” Gallant said in a statement. “Israel will not be a party to the trilateral framework proposed by France.”

Macron calls snap parliamentary election

from RT

French President Emmanuel Macron has dissolved the country’s National Assembly and called a snap general election, following the release of exit polls predicting a disastrous performance by his Renaissance party in the EU parliament election.

Macron’s allies look certain to be roundly trounced by the right-wing National Rally (RN) party, which is associated with Marine Le Pen.

According to early projections on Sunday, National Rally, currently led by Jordan Bardella, took around a third of the vote; Macron’s alliance has polled at around 15%.

Explaining his decision, the president said he could not act as if “nothing happened,” admitting that the projected election result did not bode well for his government. Macron also warned about the apparent rise of nationalist forces, calling it a danger both to France and the EU as a whole.

“This is a serious, difficult decision, but above all it is an act of trust,” Macron stated, adding that he trusts “the French people to make the best choice for themselves and for future generations.”...

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French celebrities urge Macron to recognize Palestine amid Gaza violence

from Daily Sabah

French artists, influencers, actors and activists have called on President Emmanuel Macron to recognize the Palestinian state in an open letter.

Over 230 French internet personalities, artists and actors published a joint open letter on Tuesday addressed to Macron, urging him to recognize Palestine as a state, following the examples of Spain, Norway and Ireland.

They recalled that more than 35,000 civilians were killed in Gaza in Israeli strikes and two refugee camps were bombed in Rafah.

"We witness a real-time genocide, filmed, documented, playing on our screens on a daily basis,” they added, calling for "action.”

"How many more dead until France takes a clear and humanist position? How many more crimes against humanity?" the signatories asked. "Spain, Ireland and Norway took the path to human dignity by officially recognizing Palestinian statehood, joining the 143 countries that officially recognize the existence of a Palestinian state.”..

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10,000 demonstrate in Paris near Israeli embassy to condemn Rafah massacre

from PressTV

At least 10,000 people participate in demonstrations near the Israeli embassy in Paris, condemning Israel's recent devastating bombardment of the city of Rafah in Gaza, which killed dozens of civilians.

The demonstrations, organized by the Association France-Palestine Solidarity, were held on Monday, a day after Israel's horrendous assault on Rafah ignited a blaze in a makeshift settlement resulting in the massacre of 45 people. The attack prompted widespread global censure against Israel.

The protesters assembled a couple of hundred meters away from the embassy in the heart of the French capital on Monday, where demonstrators voiced their support for Palestine by chanting slogans, and waving Palestinian flags.

"It is a massacre too many," said François Rippe of the Association France-Palestine Solidarity group.

"We are all Gaza children", "Free Gaza", the pro-Palestinian protesters chanted...

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After US, French students defy police for pro-Palestinian demo

(Remember that asshole who said 'make them hurt to shut them down'? I said it doesn't work that way unless you're a coward as that man is apparently. You attack some of us, you attack all of us and more and more people are stepping up as a result of their 'hurt them' policy. That's always how it is. It takes courage to stand up for what is right. That's why that asswipe doesn't understand. Because he never has.)

from Daily Sabah

A group of students at one of France's most prestigious universities defied police Friday to protest Israel's brutal war on the Gaza Strip.

The students at Sciences Po occupied an academic building and demonstrated on campus after police broke up a pro-Palestinian solidarity demonstration earlier Wednesday night.

The protests come as Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has sparked a wave of anger across college campuses in the United States.

Sciences Po students have accused management of calling in police to break up a pro-Palestinian protest by dozens of students gathered on a central Paris campus earlier Wednesday.

"The director has crossed a red line by deciding to send in the police," Ines Fontenelle, a member of the Student Union at Sciences Po, told AFP as some 150 students gathered Thursday.

"Management must take steps to restore a climate of trust."...

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Macron ‘panicked’ over leaked Ukraine reports – Marianne

from RT

French President Emmanuel Macron’s talk about maybe sending troops to aid Kiev may have been spurred by three assessments produced by the French military that painted a dire picture of the Ukraine conflict, according to the magazine Marianne.

The reports, which have somehow found their way into the weekly’s possession, argued that Ukraine wrecked its Western-trained force in the failed 2023 offensive, has run out of men to mobilize, and that its recent loss in Avdeevka shows it can’t even hold the line against Russia.

“Ukraine cannot win this war militarily,” concludes the first report, written in the fall of 2023, following Kiev’s disastrous ground offensive. It praises the Russian forces as the new “tactical and technical” standard of how to run defensive operations and debunks the media myth of “meat assaults.”

For the West to continue pursuing a military solution in Ukraine would be “the most serious error of analysis and judgment,” the classified document said, according to Marianne...

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Criminalizing Free Speech: The “Pfizer Article”

from Gerald Posner Just the Facts

A bitterly divided French National Assembly last week voted to approve sweeping legislation titled The Bill To Strengthen The Fight Against Sectarian Excesses And Improve The Support Of Victims. Article 4, derisively dubbed the “Pfizer Article” by critics, is the most controversial. It creates a new crime punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison and fines of €15,000 to €45,000 for speech or actions that causes others to “abandon medical care.”

Article 4 almost did not make it into the act. It was the subject of heated debate. It was removed from the bill, then reinstated, initially defeated, then amended, and finally passed by a small margin.

What constitutes criminal behavior under Article 4? This is its text. (see above)

You are not alone if you had to read its provisions a couple of times and still thought it made no sense.  And it is not a problem of having translated it into English. It is as indecipherable in its original French. That’s the point, however. Article 4 is drafted in the broadest possible language, without any restrictions or objective guard rails to trigger its provisions.

Although the word Pfizer does not appear in the legislation, nor does the term mRNA, the often-raucous debate in the National Assembly was largely directed at the anti-vaccine groundswell that had taken root online during COVID. Pharmaceutical companies lobbied behind the scenes for its passage.  Supporters contended the law would ensure public safety in any national health crisis or a future pandemic. It was, said its sponsors, a “required tool to stop the spread of misinformation” that could otherwise undermine government public health policies.

Make no mistake, Article 4 is a template for other governments looking for a legal means of controlling public discourse when it comes to health and medical treatments. Arthur Delaporte, the Socialist Deputy of the National Assembly, celebrated its passage by declaring, “With this article, we are defending science."...

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