PARIS/ANKARA  

Benjamin Fiorini, secretary general of the Association of Jurists for the Respect of International Law (JURDI), has announced that the association has filed a lawsuit with the Paris Administrative Court against the French government for failing to prevent Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip.

As Israel's attacks on Gaza continue, France has faced criticism for allegedly continuing to send weapon parts to Israel, hosting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plane to fly over French territory.

In almost weekly demonstrations in Paris and other French cities, pro-Palestinian supporters chant slogans such as "Israel murderer, Macron accomplice," calling for sanctions against Israel.

On Tuesday, JURDI filed a complaint with the Paris Administrative Court, accusing the French state of failing to fulfill its obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza.

In a statement to Anadolu, Fiorini stated: "We have referred the matter to the Paris Administrative Court, asking it to condemn the French State for failing to fulfill its obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza."

Fiorini emphasized that the obligation to prevent genocide is enshrined in the Dec. 9, 1948, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, to which France is a signatory, and is legally binding on all states, including France.  

‘France has been fully aware of the existence of a serious risk of genocide’ 

Fiorini recalled that, in its April 30, 2024, decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) emphasized that the obligation to prevent genocide requires states parties to the convention who knew or should have known of a serious risk of genocide to use all reasonable means to avoid it.

"It is indisputable that France has been fully aware of the existence of a serious risk of genocide, at least since the ICJ's order of Jan. 26, 2024," he said.

He noted that the ICJ ruling established a risk of genocide by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza and that France could not ignore the extraordinary consistency of reports from civil society organizations and international experts concluding that genocide is taking place in the region.

"It is clear that France has not employed 'all means reasonably available' to prevent genocide," Fiorini said, noting that no changes have been made to France's diplomatic, military, economic, or trade relations with Israel.

He added that Paris had not established any mechanism to identify and eliminate factors that could contribute to the crime of genocide in Gaza.

JURDI, he explained, is requesting that the court order the French government to take concrete steps to fulfill its obligation to prevent Israel from committing genocide in Gaza.

The association is requesting that France be fined €10,000 (about $11,600) for each day it fails to meet this obligation, he added.

"These measures, whether in the diplomatic, military, economic, trade, financial, technological, scientific, or academic fields, must in particular ensure that French public and private actors do not provide any aid or assistance to the commission of this crime," he said.