French opposition calls on Macron to expel Israeli ambassador

ISTANBUL

French opposition party La France Insoumise (LFI) on Friday called on President Emmanuel Macron to expel Israel’s ambassador to France following the attack on Global Sumud Flotilla.

In an interview with broadcaster RTL, LFI parliamentary leader Mathilde Panot "solemnly called on Emmanuel Macron to expel the Israeli ambassador to France."

Underlining that it is "not acceptable" to host the representative of a state "committing genocide,” Panot said that the Israeli ambassador “has no place" in France anymore.

"It is no longer acceptable to allow on our soil a representative of a state that has, on three occasions, illegally kidnapped a legitimate mission," she said.

Panot further said that France "is doing absolutely nothing” to protect the flotilla.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and Friday, and detained more than 450 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

The flotilla is an international initiative to break the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, imposed by Israel for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the enclave and rendered it uninhabitable.