Amnesty International has accused France of applying "double standards" after French authorities allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plane to pass through the country's airspace, at the same time as President Emmanuel Macron called for respect for international law.
In a reaction published on the social network X, Amnesty raised questions about France's stance towards Netanyahu, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
"Isn't France contributing to impunity when it allows entry into its territory of the Israeli prime minister, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued for crimes against humanity?" the organization asked.
Amnesty noted that Macron had taken a strong stance in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he spoke of defending international law and justice. However, the same day, France authorized Netanyahu's plane to pass through its airspace for the fifth time, according to the organization.
The organization also criticized French policy regarding the conflict in Gaza, referring to Macron's statements that the international community risks losing credibility if it continues to remain passive in the face of the situation in the Palestinian territory.
"Doesn't France risk actively participating in the genocide in Gaza by continuing to transfer military equipment to Israel?" Amnesty stated.
"France must defend international law. More than ever," the organization added, stressing that Paris' actions must be consistent with its public statements.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Macron warned that the credibility of the international community was at stake in the situation in Gaza. He described the restrictions on humanitarian aid as "shameful" and warned of a weakening of respect for international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
"War crimes have been industrialized," Macron said, adding that the protective framework of the Geneva Conventions was disintegrating.
"We cannot simply accept this new order of impunity that some are trying to establish," the French president declared.
Amnesty International's reaction thus places France in the face of a debate over the consistency between its public stances on respecting international law and its concrete policy towards Israel.
