how France tried to influence the negotiations

To obtain these releases, which Emmanuel Macron had made a priority, France had to engage in an exercise of influence, which resulted in particular in a long tour by the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, ten days ago in the Near and the Middle East. Franceinfo was able to follow it.

Until the last moment, the French authorities held their breath. Since Friday, November 24 and the start of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, every day, French officials linked to Qatar have been waiting for the phone call or text message which would announce the good news: the release of French hostages held by Hamas. The message finally arrived Monday, November 27 in the morning, a few hours before the actual liberation, and after days of regular exchanges with Israel but also with Qatar, the essential mediator in the negotiations.

The wait was long and fraught with uncertainty. A fortnight ago, Emmanuel Macron identified several risks: that the negotiations for a truce were slipping and that the French hostages were not a priority. The Head of State then decides to send his Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu for a tour, one of the objectives of which will be to weigh in favor of the French hostages. France, which has nothing to offer, is not at the heart of the negotiations carried out between Israel and Hamas through Qatar, with the support of the United States. By sending one of his close friends, Emmanuel Macron therefore chose to engage in a struggle for influence and to maintain pressure on all stakeholders to obtain releases.

In Doha, Thursday November 16 at the end of the day, Sébastien Lecornu meets Mohammed ben Abderrahmane Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the emirate. The one who negotiates with Hamas on one side and Israel on the other provides information on the French hostages, and already outlines the agreement which will subsequently see the light of day: the release of 50 women and children, in exchange of a truce and the release of Palestinians detained by Israel. This is also a confirmation on the French side: minors and women will have priority. The issue is then to know how many French people can hope to be released, when three children are among the missing French people. But the delegation is worried: the offensive in Gaza does not give the impression of slowing down and the Qataris appear tired of these negotiations which are slipping. “They are fed up”, says an advisor. If nothing seems won yet, the trend seems positive, which will make the minister say a little later in the evening to franceinfo that he has to “hope” with a view to the release of French hostages.

A struggle for influence

The false carefreeness that reigns at the edge of Frishman Beach in the center of Tel Aviv, Friday, November 17 in the morning, contrasts with the meeting which takes place a few meters away. In a meeting room of a large hotel, Sébastien Lecornu speaks with several families of French hostages held by Hamas. The minister informed them of the information obtained the day before from Qatar. The families listen, respond, question, and understand that the French nationality of their loved ones can help give them hope of seeing them again. But for this, French efforts must be useful. Remotely, on a state visit to Switzerland, a few minutes before the start of the meetings in Saint-Denis, the president monitors every development, on the phone with his minister. Make sure the message gets across, the day before in Doha, a few hours later in Tel Aviv.

All Friday afternoon, Sébastien Lecornu and his advisors spend it locked in the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Minister of Defense, Minister of Strategic Affairs, Director of Internal Intelligence… The interviews follow one another. The Frenchman is trying to put pressure on the Israeli authorities. The discussions are intense, almost physical, and above all, it appears that Israeli positions diverge. If some of the minister’s advisors detect an awareness of a risk of a change of direction among Israeli public opinion, tired of waiting for its hostages for 40 days, other officials are more harsh and judge that the army Israeli will have advanced in Gaza, the more Hamas will be willing to negotiate, the less “the cost of freeing the hostages will be high”. Even if it means waiting. At the end of the interviews, the faces of the French delegation are closed. Despite the apparent disagreements, the tension of the moment, we understand that the negotiations have moved forward, that a truce is possible in the short term, but that the slightest word, the slightest misstep can tip things to one side or the other. ‘other. Above all, it now appears essential to return to Qatar to ensure that the progress felt really exists in the negotiations.

Check that the contacts are reliable

A few minutes before takeoff for Doha, testimony to the ambient tension if any were needed, the government plane transporting the minister was evacuated. Orange dots rise into the sky, a rocket alert. Sébastien Lecornu is exfiltrated in an armored car, the delegation and the embassy teams rush off the tarmac and crouch behind concrete blocks. A vertical takeoff later, the final Qatari meeting is being prepared. This is to check “the packet” : in short, confirm that the elements entering into negotiations are the same between all parties, starting with the place of the French. One way to check that this agreement that seems to be taking shape is going through the right negotiation channels, that everyone is talking about the same thing and that the interlocutors are reliable.

“Going back there also puts pressure on both camps, we don’t want to be fooled, neither in one direction nor in the other”, confides the minister to franceinfo. The next morning, Saturday November 18, at At the end of this new meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister, no one triumphs, but one observation: “things overlap”, says Sébastien Lecornu. The list of possible releases appears stabilized. But caution remains more necessary than ever: “We don’t know when it will happen, said a close friend of the minister but we feel like we spoke to the right people.” Especially since the conclusion of the agreement is not in the hands of France. The same day, according to Reuters, a few meters away, in Doha, a final meeting took place between the American envoy, the Qatari Prime Minister and director of the CIA, William Burns, to settle the final details of the agreement.