French left-wing MP slams parliament speaker’s refusal to impose sanctions on pro-Israel lawmaker

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - A left-wing French lawmaker on Saturday slammed the parliament speaker’s refusal to impose sanctions on pro-Israel lawmaker Meyer Habib.

“Unconditional supporters of Israeli war criminals protect each other. A French MP can therefore calmly apologize for war crimes. What a shame!” Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the France Unbowed party, said on X, referring to the parliament speaker Yael Braun-Pivet’s decision.

On Thursday, Eric Coquerel, a member of the France Unbowed party took the floor in parliament to mourn a Foreign Ministry official killed in Gaza.

Coquerel's attempt to observe a one-minute silence for the official was met with rejection, prompting him to voice concerns over casualties in Gaza.

Habib, who holds French and Israeli citizenship, accused Coquerel of lying and said: "(Israel's work in Gaza) is not over."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing at least 20,258 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 53,320 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.