
France reaffirms that there is 'no alternative' to a two-state solution
"Only a political solution based on two states will meet the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative," he said.
Asked about the possible imposition of sanctions against Israel, Barrot listed a series of demands for Israel. "We know exactly what conditions Israel must meet. It owes more than $2 billion to the Palestinian Authority and must halt construction in the E1 area [in occupied West Bank] and cancel plans for more than 300 housing units in the West Bank," he said.
The minister also called for an end to the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States and Israel, which he described as a militarized system responsible for "a bloodbath causing more than 1,000 deaths. This cannot continue."
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 1,157 Palestinians have been killed and 7,758 injured by gunfire from the Israeli army or American mercenaries during GHF aid distributions set up since early May.
These statements from the head of French diplomacy come just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris will soon recognize a Palestinian state, while Israel continues to reject any prospect of a process leading to this outcome by pursuing its destructive war in the Gaza Strip and settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Ya Libnan
an hour ago
- Ya Libnan
Did the Christian Conscience Die in Gaza, Op-Ed
'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it's man-made, and that's very clear,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , Director-General of the World Health Organization told a virtual press conference from Geneva. By : Ya Libnan Editorial Board For generations, the Western world has proudly declared its commitment to Christian values—compassion, mercy, justice, and the sanctity of human life. These principles are preached in churches, taught in schools, and held up as the moral compass of society. But in the face of Gaza's unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, those values appear to have died. What we are witnessing in Gaza is not merely a conflict—it is a systematic destruction of an entire population. Over two million people, half of them children, are being starved, bombed, and displaced on their own land. Their homes have been reduced to ashes, their neighborhoods leveled, their schools and hospitals obliterated. Starvation has become a weapon of war. Families boil weeds to feed their children. Parents are gunned down while searching for food to keep their families alive. Human beings are dying—not just from bombs, but from hunger and thirst, right before the world's eyes. And as this hell unfolds, much of the Christian world remains silent—or worse, actively complicit . While Palestinians die of starvation, the West continues to flood Israel with weapons and ammunition, feeding the very machine responsible for this humanitarian catastrophe. It is not just inaction—it is participation. Here is the bitter truth: the moral failure of Western Christianity has become so grotesque, so absolute, that it makes ISIS look human by comparison . At least ISIS did not pretend to represent a higher moral standard. Today, those who proclaim the values of Christ are watching, even enabling, mass starvation and civilian slaughter—and calling it justified. Nearly every family in Gaza has been displaced, some multiple times. There is no refuge, no safe zone. Every place they flee to is eventually targeted. Entire generations have been erased, often in a single airstrike. Gaza is not just being destroyed—it is being erased. And through it all, Western pulpits grow more silent by the day. Where are the voices of Christian moral leadership? Where is the Vatican? Where are the bishops, the pastors, the priests who once marched for civil rights, stood up against apartheid, and denounced colonial wars? Gaza is calling. Will they answer? This is not just a political question—it is a spiritual reckoning . Christianity teaches us to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and comfort the afflicted . Yet today, those who claim to follow Christ remain unmoved as Gaza's people are starved , bombed, and left to die. The hypocrisy is staggering. Let us be clear: this is a test of Christian conscience. And so far, it is a test we are failing. Enough killing. Enough starvation. Enough complicity. If the Christian Church remains silent, it will share the shame of history. If it speaks out—clearly, bravely, and loudly—it might still help save lives and reclaim the moral authority it once held. It is time for churches around the world to rise—not in whispers, but in thunder. To demand an immediate end to the bombing, the blockade, and the genocide. To proclaim, without hesitation, that every human life matters —including Palestinian lives. Let the Christian conscience awaken—before it is buried alongside Gaza's children.


L'Orient-Le Jour
8 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aoun in Algeria: Regional challenges and 'common Arab issues' on the agenda
President Joseph Aoun began a two-day official visit to Algeria on Tuesday, responding to the invitation of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, Information Minister Paul Morcos, adviser and former minister Ali Hamieh, as well as an official delegation. President Aoun was welcomed by his Algerian counterpart upon arrival at the airport around 4 p.m. His arrival was greeted by a 21-gun salute, followed by the national anthems of both countries. The streets of the Algerian capital were decorated with Lebanese and Algerian flags and welcome signs. After greeting the members of the Algerian delegation, the Aoun said he was "happy to set foot on this beloved Algerian land, this brotherly country that holds a special love for Lebanon in its heart," calling the visit an "expression of the deep relationship" between the two countries. The head of state also praised Algeria's "generous support and constant assistance" to Lebanon, referencing the country's stance during Israeli attacks and after the explosion at the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020. On the Algerian side, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Energy Minister Mohamed Argab, Communication Minister Mohamed Meziane, and presidential adviser Kamel Sidi Saïd were present. Cooperation prospects The visit's agenda includes official talks to discuss the development of relations between the two countries. "We will discuss with the Algerian delegation ways to develop economic, commercial, cultural and media cooperation, and to improve exchanges in the areas of education, health and technology," the Lebanese president said upon arrival. "We will also address common Arab issues and regional challenges, convinced of the need for concerted Arab action to promote peaceful solutions and establish constructive dialogue on issues concerning our peoples," he added, hoping that this visit could "open new prospects for cooperation" between the two countries. "In a context of Algeria's isolation on the international stage and in the Arab world, Lebanon represents a sort of window of opportunity for Algerian diplomacy, endowed with symbolic value due to its borders with Palestinian territories, as the Palestinian issue remains a means for the Algerian regime to legitimize itself internally," explains Ali Bensaad, university professor at the French Institute of Geopolitics in Paris. "Algeria has always seen Lebanon as a fundamental player in the Near and Middle East for several reasons: it is a country that shares Algeria's progressive views, a Francophone country with a strong commercial orientation that enables it to understand and get closer to the issues of the Near East, notably the Palestinian question. After the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, it has become practically the only country that can be considered an ally in the region and a serious intermediary in resolving disputes with the Gulf countries," says independent analyst Akram Kharief. "Lebanon is also a market for Algerian hydrocarbons. It seems that Algeria wants to strengthen its traditional alliances. In crisis with many countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, Algiers wants to develop strong partnerships with friendly nations," he adds. Lebanon and Algeria maintain friendly diplomatic relations but their commercial exchanges remain limited. Lebanon has not imported Algerian fuel since the case of defective fuel delivered to Electricité du Liban (EDL) between 2005 and 2020 via Sonatrach Petroleum Corporation (SPC), a subsidiary of Algeria's national oil company. In 2024, as the public electricity provider faced another fuel shortage, Algeria donated several tens of thousands of liters of fuel to Lebanon. In November 2024, at the height of the war between Hezbollah and Israel, a delegation of Algerian doctors traveled to Lebanon for two weeks to perform surgeries in the country's hospitals. "It is not out of the question that Algeria could launch humanitarian aid projects from Lebanon as part of the presidential election campaign," Ali Bensaad further analyzes. He recalls that the Algerian president said his country was "capable, with its army, of building several internationally renowned hospitals in Gaza," provided it could gain access.


L'Orient-Le Jour
8 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Several Arab countries call for Hamas the disarmament of Hamas
Seventeen countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, called Tuesday for Hamas to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority during a U.N. conference aimed at reviving the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The "New York Declaration," prepared by France and Saudi Arabia — co-chairs of the conference — and supported by 15 other countries (including Brazil, Canada, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and the United Kingdom,) as well as the European Union and the Arab League, calls for the end of the war in Gaza to achieve "a just, peaceful and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the implementation of the two-state solution." In this context, these countries emphasize that "governance, the maintenance of order, and security throughout the entire Palestinian territory must fall solely to the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate support." "Hamas must end its control of Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority," it adds. These statements echo commitments made in June by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the lead-up to this conference, as part of efforts to convince more countries to recognize the Palestinian state. While the U.N. General Assembly has never condemned Hamas' unprecedented attack on Oct. 7, 2023 — which led to Israeli reprisals in Gaza — the text "condemns" this attack. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the declaration as "historic and unprecedented" during an interview with France 24. "For the first time, Arab countries and countries in the Near and Middle East are condemning Hamas, condemning Oct. 7, calling for the disarmament of Hamas, calling for its exclusion from any form of participation in the governance of Palestine, and clearly expressing their intention to have in the future normalized relations with Israel and to join, alongside Israel and the future state of Palestine, a regional organization," he said. From the podium of the U.N. General Assembly, where he announced the adoption of the declaration, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called on all other member states to "support this document" by early September. The 17 countries also demand unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a small territory threatened by famine, and reject "the use of hunger as a method of warfare." They also express their support "for the deployment of an international temporary stabilization mission" in Gaza. This mission would be intended, notably, to protect the civilian population, "support the transfer of security responsibilities" to the Palestinian Authority, and provide "security guarantees for Palestine and Israel, including the monitoring" of a future cease-fire.