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    Smotrich Cancels Paris Trip to ‘Israel is Forever’ Event Amid Protests 

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    By on Palestine News Live

    By Palestine Chronicle Staff  Twitter X Logo

    “Israeli leaders must realise that the time for justice and accountability has come, and that they will not eternally be shielded from legal proceedings aimed at shedding light on their responsibilities for the crimes perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza.”

    Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will not be traveling to France where he was due to attend a gala event on Wednesday night organized by the Israel is Forever association, amid protests and calls for the event to be canceled.

    In addition, five human rights organizations said they were “ready to file a complaint” with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the French War Crimes Unit against Smotrich “for complicity in torture.”

    “Israeli leaders must realise that the time for justice and accountability has come, and that they will not eternally be shielded from legal proceedings aimed at shedding light on their responsibilities for the crimes perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza”, the organizations including Al Mezan and Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), declared in a statement on Tuesday.

    “Justice and the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and enforced disappearances committed in Gaza must be at the center of the response to Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people,” the statement added. “Judicial investigations must be opened wherever possible.”

    Staunchly Pro-Zionist Association

    The gala event organized by the Israel is Forever group, described by France24 as “an association of staunchly pro-Zionist groups,” was promoted as celebrating “the power and history of Israel,” the report said.

    Smotrich, one of the most far-right ministers in the Israeli government, was scheduled to speak at the event.

    His spokesperson said on Tuesday that he would not be travelling to France for the event “but did not rule out his taking part in the gala virtually,” according to France24.

    Le Monde described Israel is Forever as a “French Jewish association close to the far right,” and said the event was presented by its organizers as “the mobilization of Zionist French-speaking forces in the service of Israel’s power and history.”

    ‘Missed Opportunity’ for Arrest

    According to the organizations, Smotrich “apparently preferred to cancel his visit, according to the Prefect of Paris, Laurent Nuñez.”

    “Beyond questions about the reasons for this cancellation, possibly linked to fear of legal action, this missed opportunity to call for Bezalel Smotrich’s arrest in France should not obscure the importance of the fight against impunity for the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza,” they said.

    The organizations emphasized that “The crime of torture—the sole legal basis for filing a complaint under the universal jurisdiction mechanism against a suspect present in France—reflects every aspect of the daily life for the population of Gaza, who have been the victims of Israel’s genocidal campaign since 7 October 2023.”

    A pro-Palestine activist organization, CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, also filed a request to have the event banned, and some politicians as well as unions and human rights groups also called for the gala to be canceled.

    “The President of Israel is Forever who is organizing a gala tonight in support of the genocide in Gaza is raising hundreds of thousands of euros for the war criminals of the IDF. This association must be dissolved and the gala banned!” Thomas Portes said on X.

    ‘Fanatical Religious Zionism’

    Nili Kupfer-Naouri, the president of the association, has vowed that the gala that the “pro-Hamas are trying to ban” will go ahead. In October 2023, she reportedly proclaimed that “There is no innocent civilian population in Gaza.”

    In an open letter last week, seven civil rights groups said, “Holding this gala in the capital of France would constitute an insult to international law and a mark of contempt for the United Nations and for the orders pronounced by the highest international court as well as for the resolution voted by France on September 18.”

    The letter added that “Smotrich embodies the figure of the most fanatical religious Zionism.”

    “Since he entered government on December 29, 2022, the number of settlements and hectares of land confiscated by Israel have increased in proportions not seen since the Oslo Accords,” it said.

    Football Match

    On Tuesday night, protests were held in Paris against the hosting of Smotrich.

    The gala event is to take place on the eve of a match between the French and Israeli national football teams in Paris.

    The French authorities consider this match high risk after the violence that took place last Thursday in Amsterdam on the sidelines of a match between Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, reported the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

    Smotrich Vows Full Annexation

    On Monday, Smotrich said that 2025 would be the year to fully annex the West Bank and eliminate “the danger” of a Palestinian state.

    “The year 2025 will, with God’s help, be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” Smotrich told the press ahead of a meeting for his Religious Zionism Party at the Israeli parliament (Knesset).

    “The only way to remove the danger of a Palestinian terror state from the agenda is to apply Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlement in the entire Judea and Samaria,” he added, according to the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel.

    The far-right minister revealed that he has already instructed the Israeli Settlement Directorate in the Defense Ministry and the Civil Administration to prepare the groundwork for the move, stressing that there is wide consensus amongst all political spectrums in Israel against the establishment of a Palestinian state.

    Smotrich also said on X “2025 – The year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”

    In June, Smotrich confirmed reports from The New York Times that he had a “secret plan” to annex the West Bank and thwart any efforts to incorporate it into a future Palestinian state, said the Anadolu news agency.

    ICJ Ruling

    On July 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) reaffirmed Palestinians’ right to self-determination, asserting that Israeli settlements on occupied land must be dismantled.

    In an advisory opinion regarding the consequences of Israeli occupation in Palestinian territories, the court ruled that the occupied Palestinian territories constitute a “single territorial unit” to be protected and respected.

    ‘Israel’s Continued Occupation of Palestinian Territory Unlawful’  – ICJ ​​

    The ICJ also stated that Israeli policies in these areas amount to de facto annexation and expressed doubt that extending Israeli law to include the West Bank and East Jerusalem could be justified.

    According to Israeli estimates, cited by Anadolu, more than 720,000 illegal settlers live in settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Under international law, however, settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal.

    (PC, Anadolu, MEMO)

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