French opposition lawmakers challenge foreign minister's stance on Israel's actions in Gaza

'Israel has killed more than 24,000 people. It is beyond law and morality,' says member of parliament from France Unbowed party

French opposition lawmakers strongly criticized Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on Thursday for saying that accusing Israel of genocide is crossing a "moral threshold." Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the La France Insoumise (LFI - France Unbowed) party, shared distressing images on X featuring civilians, mainly women and children, who were killed by Israel and wrapped in shrouds. Accompanying the visuals was the caption "A typical morning in Gaza." Portes condemned France's silence and refusal to denounce Israeli war crimes, saying it amounted to endorsing civilian deaths. In direct response to Sejourne's claim that Israel cannot be accused of genocide, Portes affirmed: “Yes, this is genocide.” Another LFI member of parliament, Daniele Obono, echoed these sentiments by asserting that Israel is committing a genocide that exceeds both moral and legal thresholds. "It is beyond law and morality. It has killed more than 5,000 children and 24,000 people. Is this moral?" she said. Obono called on France to support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urged the imposition of sanctions against Israel. In response, Sejourne emphasized the importance of using words carefully, saying: "Accusing the Jewish state of genocide is crossing a moral threshold. The word ‘genocide’ cannot be used for political purposes." Sejourne, who claimed that France pursued a “balanced” policy on Gaza, made an inadvertent statement during the question and answer session, expressing that the government's stance on Gaza was “to ensure the guarantee of the suffering of the Palestinians.”