One hundred former French and British diplomats are calling for sanctions against Israel

More than one hundred former senior French and British diplomatic officials have signed a joint letter calling on Paris and London to act in the face of what they describe as Israel's "erasure" of Palestine, demanding in particular a trade embargo and the suspension of bilateral agreements.

The letter, addressed to Emmanuel Macron and his British counterpart, deliberately breaks with the measured language of diplomacy. Its signatories accuse Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing and assert that Palestine is being erased "before the eyes of the world." They also warn that Israel is no longer perceived as a genuine democracy on the international stage.

Among the measures demanded is the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement, on the grounds of human rights violations. The signatories also call for an immediate halt to all arms transfers to and from Israel, as well as an end to all bilateral military cooperation.

On the humanitarian issue, the letter demands unrestricted access to aid destined for Gaza, under the auspices of UNRWA, other UN agencies, and international NGOs, with consequences for non-compliance. It also calls for the opening of the territory to journalists, diplomats, and parliamentarians.

The former diplomats go further on the economic front: they call for a ban on all trade with Israeli settlements, whether in goods, investments, insurance, or financial services. They want potential candidates for financing or building the so-called "E1" settlement to be warned that their interests in the United Kingdom and France will suffer.

The letter also recommends making the purchase of properties on confiscated Palestinian land a criminal offense for French and British nationals, and revoking the charitable status of organizations that finance settlements. The signatories further call on both governments to respect the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.