what to remember from Monday, February 5

The head of French diplomacy estimated that Israeli “settler violence” in the occupied West Bank must “stop”, following an interview in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On tour in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, February 5, and assured that there could be no “in no case of forced displacement of Palestinians, neither outside Gaza nor outside the West Bank”. The Israeli leader told him that he wanted “a total victory” of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

Stéphane Séjourné met the Israeli Prime Minister

The head of French diplomacy estimated on Monday that “settler violence” Israelis in the occupied West Bank were to “cease”, following an interview in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“There can under no circumstances be any forced displacement of Palestinians, neither outside Gaza nor outside the West Bank,” added Stéphane Séjourné, on tour in the Middle East to try to push for a truce in the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The future of the Gaza Strip is inseparable from the future of the West Bank, we must prepare for this future by supporting the Palestinian Authority. It must renew itself and redeploy as soon as possible in the Gaza Strip,” he estimated.

Benjamin Netanyahu wants “total victory”

The Israeli Prime Minister estimated that a “total victory” of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip would wear a “fatal blow” to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, but also to Iran and its allies.

“Absolute victory is essential because it guarantees Israel’s security. (…) Total victory will deal a fatal blow to the ‘axis of evil’ that is Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis and of course the Hamas”continued Benyamin Netanyahu, according to comments reported by his cabinet following a meeting with the military.

In the absence of victory, he further asserted, “the displaced [israéliens] will not come back [chez eux]. The next massacre would only be a matter of time and Iran, Hezbollah and others will party here and destroy the Middle East.”

Olaf Scholz says two-state formula ‘the only lasting solution’

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed in a telephone interview with Benjamin Netanyahu that the implementation of a two-state formula was the condition for lasting peace in the Middle East.

“Only a negotiated two-state solution will open the prospect of a lasting solution to the Middle East conflict. This must be true for Gaza and the West Bank.” declared the German Chancellor, calling for “a central role” for a “Reformed Palestinian Authority”, according to a press release from the chancellery.

The Israeli government refuses to discuss a “two-state solution”, irritating the international community, and Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly reaffirmed his opposition to a “Palestinian sovereignty”.

UN chief appoints independent committee to assess UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of an independent committee to assess the “neutrality” of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and its functioning after the accusations targeting several of its employees.

This evaluation group will be led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, in collaboration with three research centers (Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights). , said a press release.

URRWA has been at the center of controversy since Israel accused 12 of its 30,000 regional employees of involvement in the October 7 attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. In response, a dozen countries, including major donors such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden, announced they were suspending their funding to the agency, which said last week that it was under threat of must cease its activities”by the end of February”.