PARIS: France’s government said on Friday that it’s asking prosecutors to investigate Israel’s alleged violent mistreatment of activists from a flotilla to Gaza, potentially opening a route for criminal proceedings.
France had already announced an indefinite ban from French territory of Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, for what it called his “unspeakable” behavior toward flotilla activists while they were in Israeli detention, after they attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noe Barrot’s decision to now ask French prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges might be warranted is an additional signal of Paris’ displeasure.
Speaking on Friday to public broadcaster France Inter, Barrot said he received a report from French diplomats in Turkiye that “detailed sexual violence, exposure to cold, beatings and repeated humiliations of French nationals — all acts that could constitute criminal offenses.”
“I decided yesterday to refer the matter to the public prosecutor,” he said.
