June 5, 2025, in Paris
Mr. President of the Republic,
Our association, "Lawyers for Respect for International Law" (JURDI) – composed of eminent jurists (lawyers, judges, and law professors) specializing in international law – is once again appealing to you to urgently use all of France's influence to ensure respect for the imperative and vital norms of international law, and particularly international humanitarian law (IHL) in situations of armed conflict, which governs the fundamental right to assistance. The State of Israel, the occupying power of the Palestinian Territory of the Gaza Strip, has an equally imperative obligation to respect these norms. However, in practice, the State of Israel violates most of its obligations, with the tragic consequences we are all too familiar with.
The International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against two senior Israeli officials on November 21, 2024, has also determined that they intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population of the Gaza Strip of resources essential for its survival, used famine – and now humanitarian assistance – as a method of warfare with the highest number of humanitarian workers killed in the world, which several reports from United Nations bodies have recently confirmed.
The annex to this letter describes in more detail the applicable legal framework in this matter.
You recently and rightly described these international crimes as "unacceptable" and said you felt "shame" at these violations of humanitarian law. What is "unacceptable" must not be accepted.
Furthermore, your Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs recently described Gaza as a "death trap, not to say a cemetery." He has also co-signed, on behalf of France, several declarations with other European states deploring the damage caused by the Israeli blockade and urging Israel to "allow the full and immediate resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to enable the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to carry out their work independently and impartially." Finally, he stated that he would not remain "idle while the Netanyahu government continues these outrageous actions" and threatened to take "further concrete measures in response" to the ongoing blockade and military operations.
These are the right words and important statements that are a step in the right direction. They must now be translated, as quickly as possible, into effective actions, and the "concrete measures" mentioned must receive the full political, diplomatic, financial, material, and logistical support of France. Such measures must be commensurate with the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe and the demands of international law, public conscience, and morality. To do nothing is "beyond comprehension," it is to "lose our humanity" when "flames and hunger devour Palestinian children" (Ambassador of the State of Palestine, Security Council, May 28, 2025).
In this regard, JURDI recommends the adoption of several strong humanitarian, economic, diplomatic, and legal measures that can be taken at the national, European, and multilateral levels. These measures are in addition to those we have already asked you to adopt in previous letters.
1. Humanitarian measures in order to:
• Deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and increase French support to international (particularly the World Food Programme) and non-governmental organizations operating on the ground. France should also contribute to placing humanitarian infrastructure under international protection, while guaranteeing the independent operational capacity of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Palestinian Red Crescent, and their partners. Furthermore, it must promote concrete European initiatives in this area by mobilizing the mechanisms established for crises and humanitarian emergencies.
• Ensure that humanitarian assistance operations can be undertaken as quickly as possible by impartial humanitarian organizations operating in accordance with the requirements of international humanitarian law (in particular Articles 55 and 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 – treaty rules – and customary rules 55 and 56) and the fundamental operational principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. You will understand that it is essential to ensure that the politicization and militarization of humanitarian action are not permitted, as this could only undermine its credibility and effectiveness.
• To definitively lift the illegal total blockade (in that it constitutes collective punishment), in place since March 2, 2025, and to guarantee the massive resumption of impartial humanitarian assistance. These are humanitarian imperatives of absolute urgency.
• Ensure that the occupying power strictly respects its obligations relating to the right to assistance under IHL «in all circumstances» as well as the legally binding provisional measures contained in the three orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued in January, March and May 2024.
• To ensure that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) can carry out its conventional mandate, that other impartial humanitarian organizations can operate, and that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) can continue to carry out its mission legally.
• To stop attacks, destruction or rendering unusable of property essential to the survival of the civilian population "whatever the reason".
2. Sanctions against the State of Israel and its leaders at both the European and national levels, in particular for:
• Suspend or denounce the 1995 EU-Israel Association Agreement. A simple review of the Agreement, mentioned by Ms. Kaja Kallas on May 20, 2025, would be far too late and inappropriate.
• Suspend all national economic, commercial and academic cooperation with the Israeli state and private companies in both civilian and military fields.
• Initiate individual sanctions against the perpetrators or accomplices of war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide, and against all those who block or limit the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian civilian population.
3. Diplomatic initiatives for:
• To work towards ending the ongoing military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, and to initiate and support the adoption of an immediate and permanent ceasefire by the United Nations Security Council.
• To actively contribute to the success of the global initiative to revitalize political commitment to respect for IHL to preserve humanity in war, launched by the ICRC and of which France was one of the first supporters.
• To name and publicly and firmly condemn the international crimes committed by the State of Israel.
4. Legal initiatives to:
• Respect the orders, judgments and advisory opinions issued by the ICJ which are legally binding.
• To fully respect the decisions and arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• To initiate domestic criminal proceedings against any individual suspected of having committed, participated in or incited the commission of international crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Our association JURDI is at your disposal to contribute to and discuss this.
Please accept, Mr. President of the Republic, the assurance of our highest consideration.
Patrick ZAHND,
President of JURDI
