PARIS, (PIC)
Gaza is a Palestinian territory and its future is not up to Israel to decide, French foreign minister Catherine Colonna told CNN on Friday.
“It’s not up to Israel to determine the future of Gaza, which is Palestinian land; we need to return to the principle of international law and respect it,” Colonna said.
“Gaza and the West Bank must together be part of the future Palestinian state,” the foreign minister stressed.
Colonna also slammed the racist remarks made by two extremist Israeli ministers calling for relocating the population of the Gaza Strip to another country and constructing Israeli settlements in the area. “Such statements are irresponsible and keep us away from a solution.”
The minister affirmed that such rhetoric by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir also conflicts with Israel’s long-term interests, expressing France’s support for the two-state solution, which she described as “the only viable option.”
