When terror speaks, France listens: A diplomatic disgrace

Once again, France has rushed to issue a statement condemning Israel — this time for alleged strikes on civilians gathered near an aid distribution center in Gaza. 

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “strong condemnation” on Tuesday, citing “dozens of deaths and injuries” based on figures disseminated by the Hamas-run civil defense in Gaza.

This condemnation, however, leans heavily on a highly questionable source. The so-called casualty figures were published by Hamas — a terrorist organization that has repeatedly manipulated numbers and exploited imagery to wage a propaganda war against Israel. 

Hamas's reports are rarely verified independently and often serve strategic disinformation purposes.

Despite this, the French government did not hesitate to amplify Hamas’s narrative, lending it diplomatic legitimacy. This pattern of reflexive blame directed at Israel has become a hallmark of Paris’s Middle East policy. 

From the UN General Assembly to bilateral statements, France has consistently adopted a posture that appears more aligned with its domestic political anxieties than with the complexities of the conflict on the ground.

The latest statement ignores the context of Hamas’s deliberate militarization of civilian areas and its use of human shields — tactics that have drawn condemnation from multiple international observers. It also fails to acknowledge the extraordinary measures Israel claims to take to minimize civilian casualties during military operations.

Critics argue that this selective outrage is both hypocritical and dangerous. France’s silence or ambiguity when it comes to atrocities committed by Hamas — including the October 7 massacre — stands in stark contrast to its quick denunciations of Israeli actions, often without comprehensive verification.

In choosing to side with unverifiable reports from a designated terror group, France undermines its credibility as a balanced actor on the international stage. Worse, such stances risk emboldening radical elements and diminishing the prospects for a meaningful, facts-based dialogue on the Israel–Palestine conflict.

If Paris truly seeks peace in the region, it should begin by treating facts with caution and abandoning a foreign policy that, in appearance and substance, reflects a long-standing hostility rather than impartial diplomacy.