Israel/Palestinian Territories
Death of Elia Toledano (Dec. 15, 2023)

We were deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of our compatriot Elia Toledano, whose remains were found in the Gaza Strip. This brings the number of French victims of Hamas to 41.

We share the pain of his family and loved ones, and offer them our heartfelt condolences and support at this difficult time.

This Sunday, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will meet with the families of French citizens who have been missing since October 7.

France has made their release an absolute priority.

Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministries of France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom calling on Israel to take concrete steps to tackle record high settler violence in the occupied West Bank

France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom express their grave concern about the record number of attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Since the start of October, settlers have committed more than 343 violent attacks, killing 8 Palestinian civilians, injuring more than 83, and forcing 1026 Palestinians from their homes.

We strongly condemn the violent acts committed by extremist settlers, which are terrorizing Palestinian communities. We reiterate our position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law and remind Israel of its obligations under international law, in particular Article 49 of Geneva Convention IV.

This rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians is unacceptable. Israel, as the occupying power, must protect the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank. Those responsible for the violence must be brought to justice. Israel’s failure to protect Palestinians and prosecute extremist settlers has led to an environment of near complete impunity in which settler violence has reached unprecedented levels. This undermines security in the West Bank and the region and threatens prospects for a lasting peace.

While we welcomed the Government of Israel’s statement on this issue on 9 November where it conveyed that action would be taken against violent perpetrators, proactive steps must now be taken to ensure the effective and immediate protection of Palestinian communities. Words are important, but must now be translated into action.

Russia
Situation of Alexei Navalny (Dec. 15, 2023)

The fact that we have had no news for the past several days about the situation of imprisoned political opposition leader Andrei Navalny is very troubling, given that his health has sharply deteriorated since his imprisonment.

France holds Russia responsible for the health of its detainees, especially political prisoners, and reminds Russia of is international obligations with regard to human rights.

We call on Russia to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and to end all legal proceedings against them.

Russia
France renews its support for Mémorial France and hails its commitment to an accurate, restorative vision of history and remembrance (Dec. 15, 2023)

France renews its full support for the NGO Mémorial France and hails its commitment to an accurate, restorative vision of history and remembrance on the occasion of the December 15th conference, “Imperial violence: Reconsidering Soviet history through the prism of current events” (“Violences impériales. Repenser l’histoire soviétique au prisme de l’actualité”). Minister Catherine Colonna will be participating remotely in this conference, which has the support of the Institut Français and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

France also reaffirms its support for Memorial’s struggle for human rights and its effort to preserve the memory of crimes committed by Russia since the Soviet era. The Russian regime is exploiting the past and present for destructive, repressive purposes, as illustrated by the judicial harassment suffered by human rights defender Oleg Orlov, Memorial’s co-founder.

Q&A

What is the status of the visa application submitted by Mohammed Zubair Yusufi and his family?

The visa applications submitted by Mohammed Zubair Yusufi and his family in Tehran, to which they traveled at their own initiative, were processed according to the rules and were rejected for security reasons. On June 26, the family had an appointment with the French Embassy in Tehran, where they were informed that their visa was rejected. The French administrative judge upheld the merits of this decision.

France is doing all it can to show its solidarity with Afghans threatened by the Taliban. Since September 1, 2021, the number of visas issued to Afghan national has risen to 15,074 (including 11, 288 long-stay visas, mainly for the purpose of reunification, asylum, and keeping families together). Most of these visas were issued to women, human rights activists, journalists and judges who had received specific threats in Afghanistan.

Although there is no longer a French Embassy in Kabul, France is continuing its policy of issuing long-stay visas, specifically so that Afghan nationals can apply for asylum. Applications are processed by our consulates in neighborhood countries in order to meet applicants’ particularly urgent and obvious need for protection.

Against this backdrop, France is mobilizing its efforts to ensure that any individuals who might be eligible for asylum are not expelled from neighboring countries while their case is being examined. Thus in Pakistan, where a policy was instituted to return undocumented Afghans to Afghanistan, Afghan asylum applicants can point to their visa applications to avoid expulsion. This procedure made it possible to finalize the cases of 45 families (and issue 165 visas) between November 16 and December 2.

A specific procedure has also been in place for the past 10 years to welcome local civilians who had previously worked for the Ministry for the Armed Forces. When they file an application, their identity and status are verified with that Ministry. The Interior Ministry then conducts security checks. Based on the results, they are either issued a visa or their applications are rejected. More than 1,500 people have been welcomed under this system since 2013.