PARIS

Video footage circulating on social media of a French-Israeli soldier insulting Palestinians that his unit tortured is “shocking and disgusting,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said Thursday.

“This footage is shocking and disgusting. As I initially stated regarding potential legal consequences: the competent authority to address crimes committed by French citizens in foreign countries is the French judiciary.

“In accordance with the constitutional principle of separation of powers, this authority is exercised independently,” he added.

The remarks came after the ministry’s weekly news conference.

Regarding whether a more comprehensive investigation is needed in light of the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on weapons or weapon parts sent by France to Israel, Lemoine said "France has an extremely strict authorization mechanism for the use of war materials. This mechanism is inter-ministerial, rigorous and based on case-by-case examination."

Noting that the mechanism relies on different criteria than those in the agreement on arms trade, he said the country receiving the weapons must respect human rights and international humanitarian law in this context.

Lemoine further added that France is a marginal partner to Israel concerning defense equipment, noting that in 2022, Israel's share of France's arms exports accounted for only 0.1%.

Thomas Portes, a member of parliament from the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed, LFI) party, demanded the suspension of the 1959 France-Israel agreement allowing French-origin Israelis to serve in the Israeli army.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul