Sanctions requested against pro-Israel lawmaker in France for 'war crime propaganda'

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - Tensions reached a boiling point in a heated French parliamentary session as sanctions were sought against lawmaker Meyer Habib, who holds French and Israeli citizenship.

Accusations stemmed from alleged "war crime propaganda" following a debate on recent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Eric Coquerel, a member of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) took the floor to mourn a Foreign Ministry official killed in the Gaza conflict.

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

"I think about the prisoners killed by the Israeli army, including our citizen Elia Toledano; 16,608 Palestinian civilians, 70% of whom are women and children, shared the same fate," Coquerel said during the session.

Israeli-supporting Habib accused Coquerel of lying and interrupted him, stating: "(Israel's work in Gaza) is not over."

Coquerel questioned the true intentions of the Benjamin Netanyahu government in Gaza, asking the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna: "Who can doubt the real objectives of the Netanyahu government, which struck the south of the Gaza Strip after the north? Yet, he had asked Palestinians to seek refuge there (to the south)."

The exchange took a tumultuous turn as Habib continued to interrupt, leading MP Stephane Peu to condemn the interruptions as shameful.

Peu accused Habib of inciting murder, calling on parliamentary authorities to take action against him.

MPs Marie-Charlotte Garin and Francesca Pasquini joined the call for sanctions against Habib, accusing him of engaging in "war crime propaganda."

LFI MP Antoine Leaument shared a snippet from the parliamentary record on social media, echoing the demand for sanctions against Habib.