Left-wing lawmakers attend French parliament session wearing clothing representing Palestinian flag

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Left-wing lawmakers in the French parliament on Tuesday showed up for a session donning clothing that represented the colors of the Palestinian flag.

The lower chamber of parliament, or the National Assembly, saw some left-wing lawmakers dressed in green, others in black and red, and the rest in white, representing the colors of the Palestinian flag.

The session was halted after Rachel Keke, a member of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party, hailed a Palestinian flag, as did her co-member Sebastien Delogu last week.

Delogu was suspended from his duties in the parliament for 15 days.

France has openly supported Israel since the conflict began on Oct. 7, but LFI members have stood in solidarity with Palestine and criticized the government's stance.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, banning food, fuel and medicine into the territory, home to nearly 2.3 million people.

Last month, the Israeli army captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, a vital route for fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,500 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and nearly 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.