Recognizing Palestine: Diplomatic momentum builds one week after France's announcement
Macron described his promise, which he set out in a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as a "moral duty," at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been orchestrating famine in the Gaza Strip and accelerating the annexation of the West Bank.
France, powerless to stop the conflict in Gaza, which began after Hamas committed massacres on October 7, 2023, presented its political initiative as a path to peace, intended to revive the two-state solution that Netanyahu and his far-right ministers have rejected. Unsurprisingly, the decision angered Israel and displeased the United States, its closest ally. France had good reason to fear becoming isolated on the international stage.
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LeMonde
34 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Dozens Palestinians killed while seeking aid in Gaza Strip
At least 38 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday, August 6, in the Gaza Strip while seeking aid from United Nations convoys and sites run by an Israeli-backed American contractor, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces. Another 25 people, including several women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to local hospitals in Gaza. The military said it only targets Hamas militants. The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action – and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine. A new UN report said only 1.5% of Gaza's cropland is accessible and undamaged. Another escalation of the nearly 22-month war could put the lives of countless Palestinians and around 20 living Israeli hostages at risk, and would draw fierce opposition both internationally and within Israel. Netanyahu's far-right coalition allies have long called for the war to be expanded, and for Israel to eventually take over Gaza, relocate much of its population and rebuild Jewish settlements there. US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter Tuesday whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he wasn't aware of the "suggestion" but that "it's going to be pretty much up to Israel." Desperate crowds Of the 38 Palestinians killed while seeking aid, at least 28 died in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where UN convoys have been repeatedly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds in recent days, and where witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots as Palestinians advanced toward them, and that it was not aware of any casualties. Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, said another four people were killed in the Teina area, on a route leading to a site in southern Gaza run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor. The Al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of six people killed near a GHF site in central Gaza. GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites, and that the one in central Gaza was not open on Wednesday. It said the violence may have been related to the chaos around UN convoys. Two of the Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City, in the north of the territory, killing 13 people there, including six children and five women, according to the Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the bodies. Partner service The Israeli military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its militants are entrenched in heavily populated areas. Israel facilitated the establishment of four GHF sites in May after blocking the entry of all food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months. Israeli and US officials said a new system was needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off humanitarian aid. The United Nations, which has delivered aid to hundreds of distribution points across Gaza throughout the war when conditions allow, has rejected the new system, saying it forces Palestinians to travel long distances and risk their lives for food, and that it allows Israel to control who gets aid, potentially using it to advance plans for further mass displacement. 'Disturbing' The UN human rights office said last week that some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, mostly near GHF sites but also along UN convoy routes where trucks have been overwhelmed by crowds. It says nearly all were killed by Israeli fire. This week, a group of UN special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts called for the GHF to be disbanded, saying it is "an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law." The experts work with the UN but do not represent the world body. The GHF called their statement "disgraceful," and urged the UN and other aid groups to work with it "to maximize the amount of aid being securely delivered to the Palestinian people in Gaza." The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots when crowds threatened its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding at its sites. Gaza's food production mostly destroyed Israel's air and ground war has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's food production capabilities, leaving its people reliant on international aid. A new report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN satellite center found that just 8.6% of Gaza's cropland is still accessible following sweeping Israeli evacuation orders in recent months. Just 1.5% is accessible and undamaged, it said. The military offensive and a breakdown in security have made it nearly impossible for anyone to safely deliver aid, and aid groups say recent Israeli measures to facilitate more assistance are far from sufficient. Hospitals recorded four more malnutrition-related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 193 people, including 96 children, since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Jordan said Israeli settlers blocked roads and hurled stones at a convoy of four trucks carrying aid bound for Gaza after they drove across the border into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly sought to halt aid from entering Gaza. The Israeli military said security forces went to the scene to disperse the gathering and accompanied the trucks to their destination. Le Monde with AP Reuse this content
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Macron moves to limit visas for Algerian diplomats as deportation row escalates
Macron on Wednesday asked his government to tighten visa requirements on Algerian diplomats as a dispute about the deportation of Algerian nationals escalates. In a letter to his Prime Minister François Bayrou, which was seen by Reuters, Macron said the growing difficulties that France is encountering in terms of migration and security with Algeria required a tougher stance against the former French colony. Macron requested that Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot officially notify Algeria of the suspension of a 2013 agreement that exempted diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements. He also requested that France's interior minister ask countries in the Schengen zone – which allow passport-free travel between their borders – to help France apply the tighter visa policy, notably by consulting France for the issuance of short-stay visas for the Algerian officials in question and the passports covered by the 2013 agreement. "France must be strong and command respect. It can only receive this from its partners if it shows them the respect it demands from them. This basic rule also applies to Algeria," Macron said. Ties between Paris and Algiers have deteriorated since France in July 2024 recognised Morocco 's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which Rabat wants the international community to recognise as Moroccan. Tensions increased after Algeria detained Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal in November and came to a head in February this year when an Algerian citizen whom France had long tried unsuccessfully to repatriate was arrested as the suspect in a knife attack in the city of Mulhouse that killed one person and injured three. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has repeatedly called for the review of Franco-Algerian migration and visa arrangements following the Algerian authorities' refusal to take back its citizens who have been ordered to leave France under the "OQTF" (obligation to leave French territory) deportation regime.
Local France
2 hours ago
- Local France
'Doesn't seem fair' - British pensioners speak out over apparent change to French citizenship rules
After almost eight years of living in France, British retiree Colin Howard, 68, decided it was time to apply for French nationality. "I feel French, I feel like I belong here," Colin explained. Colin, a certified B2 ( upper intermediate ) French speaker, has spent a significant amount of his time in France building relations with his local community. "Since 2017, I have taught weekly and fortnightly French lessons as a volunteer to non-French-speaking immigrants, and I continue to do this two years after retiring," Colin said. Using his background as a teacher, Colin also spent four years as a volunteer teaching English to a group of French people, and since 2021, he has served as the president of an Anglo-French integration association near his home in Charente, in south-west France. "I thought 'I contribute some to French society', so I'll give applying for nationality a go," Colin said. Colin sent in his application in October 2024. He supplied additional documentation when asked and passed various levels of checks, including the police visit and the 'assimilation' interview at the Deux Sèvres préfecture. Advertisement Over a year and a half later, in July 2025, Colin's application was rejected. As for the official reason of rejection, the local authority wrote: "You have never worked in France, and the entirety of the income you receive is not from a French source." "It does not seem fair," Colin said. "Whether deliberately or by accident, it discriminates against people of a certain age. "This is saying that if you are of a certain age, and you live on a private pension, savings or a state pension, if you apply for nationality, you will not get it." Colin's is not the only such case in recent weeks, with several retirees in France reporting on social media that they too have been turned down for citizenship on the grounds of not having income in France. The Local spoke to Liz Combes, a 73-year-old retired teacher, who was rejected in June 2025 on the grounds that she had no income in France. "I was really, really upset. I had been ill since then, and my friend noticed that I'd been ill since this all started. It's true. My health has been affected. I have put in an appeal, but I have absolutely no hope that it will work," Liz said. Liz and her husband bought a second home in France in 1996, which they renovated, and the pair became full-time residents of France in 2016, just before the Brexit vote. Advertisement Like Colin, Liz has a strong background of volunteer work and involvement in her local community. She said: "When we committed to being here in France, I said, 'I'm going to have to get involved in things.' "I got involved in our local Franco-British society as the secretary, and alongside the French president of the group, we set up a programme to organise local volunteers to come into schools and teach English. I'm still very involved in that." Liz submitted her application in March 2024, after passing her French language exam, and she had her interview in April. During the interview, Liz remembered the French official being impressed with her volunteer work. "It was all very successful. I had no problem speaking French. "The official told me that it would be normal not to hear for two months. She was very positive, but on the last day of the two months, I got an email with a letter rejecting me on the basis that none of my income came from France. "If I had known 10 years ago that I needed French income, I could have set up a French company to teach, but I was happy to do it for free. I did not need to be paid or get money for it. "The point is that I am retired. I have a very good pension, and I am no drain on society here. We have our health covered by the UK with our S1s, and we have our savings in French accounts. "I have contributed as much as I can. This new knowledge of needing French would I have applied for citizenship? The goalposts have been moved since May when this circulaire came out." Liz and Colin's rejections come despite the fact that over the past two decades, dozens, if not hundreds, of retirees in France have successfully become French - even if all of their income comes from a pension in their home country. Advertisement Both believe that their rejection was related to a recent memo ( circulaire ) sent around to préfecture staff, warning that they should reject applicants who earn the majority of their income from a non-French source. READ MORE: Why do French ministers love to send 'circulaires'? "My file was marked complete in January 2025. By March, I was invited for an interview on the 6th of June. Between those times, Bruno Retailleau (France's interior minister) decided to send his circulaire out about earnings in France," Colin said. While the circulaire, published on May 2nd, did not introduce any official legal changes, it did offer advice and clarification for préfecture employees, including on the topic of foreign-sourced income. Technically, this is not new. French case law has made it clear for many years that applicants must demonstrate that France is the "centre of their economic interests". The French government's Service-Public information page for naturalisations also specifies that applicants must demonstrate "professional insertion" in France, noting the applicant must have a "stable and regular income". Therefore it has long been the case that people living in France but working remotely for a foreign company would be highly likely to be refused for citizenship. People who are neither working nor retired have also traditionally had a hard time satisfying the income requirement. Advertisement But préfecture officials were previously told to examine the application 'holistically'. As a result, many retirees applying with solely foreign pensions have been able to gain nationality based on residency if they showed a well-rounded application in other areas. The Local has contacted the Interior Ministry to request further clarification, and to enquire whether - as seems to be the case - there is a difference in how applications from retirees are being treated. Do you have experience - successful or otherwise - of applying for French citizenship as a pensioner? Please share your experiences in the comments section below, or contact us on news@
