Ilayda Cakirtekin
15 June 2026•Update: 15 June 2026
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday warned against the conflict with Iran overshadowing the "catastrophe unfolding in Palestine."
"The situation must not make us forget the catastrophe unfolding in Palestine, in Gaza as well as in the West Bank," Barrot said ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
He recalled that France had already imposed national sanctions on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with sanctions coordinated with several other countries against 26 individuals and entities accused of accelerating settlement expansion in the West Bank.
"We want these sanctions to be endorsed at the European level to send a clear signal: Europe cannot accept the explosion of violence and the continued unchecked settlement expansion in the West Bank, which threatens the possibility of peace in the Near and Middle East," Barrot noted.
He also reaffirmed that France, together with several other countries, would formally ask the European Commission to prevent imports into the bloc of products originating from illegal settlements in the West Bank.
"We cannot accept that Europe, directly or indirectly through its trade, supports these illegal activities that undermine the possibility of peace between Israel and Palestine," Barrot further underscored.
He also said the newly announced deal between the US and Iran, following months of fighting, should bring an end to hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, “which should allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of a comprehensive negotiation aimed at restoring stability and security in the region.”
Barrot also said the international mission aimed at ensuring the resumption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz "is already ready. "
