UN Security Council must adopt new Mideast resolution: French Foreign Ministry

By Nur Asena Erturk

The UN Security Council must adopt a new resolution on the situation in the Middle East, the French Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

A statement by the ministry noted the Security Council will hold an urgent meeting concerning Rafah.

“Given the gravity of the situation, France considers necessary more than ever that the Council adopts a new resolution,” it said. “These operations must stop, as requested by the International Court of Justice.”

The ministry noted that the Council must allow the UN to play its role in the Gaza Strip to respond to the population’s “immediate needs and let the Palestinians govern a territory that must be an integral part of their state.”

France openly expressed support for Israel since the beginning of the onslaught on Oct. 7.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “outrage” on Monday for Israeli strikes on Rafah.

“These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire,” he said.

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

Nearly 36,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

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

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.