Over 100 Former Diplomats Demand Coordinated French‑UK Action on Palestinian Territories
Paris (France) (AFP) – Dozens of former senior French and UK diplomats on Saturday urged their governments to work together to uphold international law in the Palestinian territories, accusing Israel of seeking to “destroy” any prospect of a viable Palestinian state.
Issued on: 22/08/2026 – 11:46Modified: 22/08/2026 – 12:37
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The 102 signatories of the open letter, published in Le Monde, included former British ambassadors to the UN Jeremy Greenstock and Emyr Jones Parry as well as former directors for the Middle East at the French foreign ministry Yves Aubin de la Messuzière and Denis Bauchard.
Their appeal stresses that France and the United Kingdom must cooperate, citing their historic diplomatic weight and the fact that both Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council in 2025 recognise a viable Palestinian state.
“Our two nations hold that perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be held accountable. Only then can our governments refute claims of double standards. Accordingly, they urge joint action to uphold international law in Palestine,” the letter states.
It characterises Israel as seeking “to annihilate any realistic prospect of an independent Palestinian state, displaying contempt for the law, the rulings of the International Court of Justice, and numerous UN Security Council resolutions.”
Context: Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault, Israel has launched a broad‑scale military campaign in Gaza, and violence in the West Bank, under Israeli occupation since 1967, has risen sharply, drawing worldwide disquiet over the conduct of striking forces and settlements.
In solidarity with a number of other states, France and Britain this fortnight released a joint statement denouncing Israel’s recent issuance of fresh construction tenders in the occupied West Bank, condemning the measures as contravening international humanitarian norms.
The missive describes systematic house demolitions and “widespread settler violence—facilitated by the Israeli armed forces and police”—in annexed East Jerusalem and the West Bank as “ethnic cleansing.”
“The world no longer views Israel as a genuine democracy; depriving peoples of rights and land is fundamentally undemocratic, the letter remarks.
© 2026 AFP