Harun Nasrullah
France will not investigate French nationals enlisting in the Israeli army, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced on March 14.
Asked about possible inquiries into the actions of more than 4,000 dual nationals serving in the Israeli military, a spokesman for the ministry stressed the validity of dual citizenship and dual loyalty.
“You know that dual citizenship implies dual loyalty, so we will not investigate what French Israeli citizens do regarding their military obligations in Israel,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine.
Lemoine remained evasive when asked if French-origin Israeli soldiers would stand trial in France for any possible crimes against Gazans.
“This is a somewhat forward-looking question,” he said, “because if I understood your question correctly, they have not yet committed these crimes, so if they do commit these crimes and it is proven, I will answer you when the time comes.”
A week after the French government announced it would not investigate war crimes committed by dual nationals, a Palestinian advocacy group called the March 30
Movement filed a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Yoel Ohnona, a French-Israeli soldier, on charges of torturing civilians in Gaza.
The March 30 Movement is ramping up its efforts for justice for alleged victims of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, focusing on legal action against Israeli soldiers who hold dual nationalities of European nations.
Haroon Raza, a lawyer with the March 30 Movement, told Anadolu Agency that the movement’s purpose is to ensure that “everyone who is directly or indirectly responsible for war crimes and genocide in Gaza is prosecuted and eventually behind bars.”
He said reports that the Israeli army has recruited dozens of legal advisers for its Military Prosecution Unit indicate that it is now aware of an unprecedented situation “in modern history.”
Raza said the Movement has filed at least 17 complaints with prosecutors in the Netherlands over dual nationals taking part in “the Gaza genocide.”
Earlier this month, the movement filed cases against 11 Dutch individuals serving in the Israeli military, including one against a settler living in an illegal Israeli settlement.
The group intends to soon lodge complaints in Belgium, France, and Switzerland against their citizens in the Israeli military.
“Europe is the focus because of the jurisdiction and because of the fact that many of these IDF soldiers do, in fact, live in Europe,” he said.
The charges filed encompass genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, which include aiding, abetting, or being complicit in acts such as torture, attacks on hospitals and ambulances, assaults on civilians, and the deliberate starvation of the civilian population.
The complaints also focus on violations such as using “dumb bombs,” or unguided munitions, in residential areas, as well as the use of the banned white phosphorous bombs.
“It’s regarding everything that the IDF is doing. Literally every step they’re taking is a war crime or a crime against humanity,” he added.
Raza said cases against returning soldiers are bolstered by “clear-cut confessions” the accused had “shamelessly” spread against themselves via WhatsApp social media platforms, including Signal, TikTok, and Instagram.
Photo: The March 30 Movement filed a case at the ICC against Yoel Ohnona (left), a French-Israeli soldier. (Credit: Mintpress/CC)
