How the war between Israel and Hamas exacerbates divisions within La France insoumise

The rebellious MP Danièle Obono finds herself at the heart of a controversy after describing Hamas as a “resistance movement” on Tuesday. Enough to annoy the movement’s left-wing partners, but also some of its LFI colleagues.

Too much outing? After days of controversy over the initial refusal of La France insoumise (LFI) to qualify Hamas as a “terrorist” organization, the words of Danièle Obono designating Hamas as a “Islamist political group which has an armed wing”, on South Radio Tuesday October 17, added fuel to the fire. In question, the “Yes” from the LFI deputy of Paris to the question asked by Jean-Jacques Bourdin asking him if Hamas was “a resistance movement”. Enough to immediately warm up the minds of the opponents of the radical left party. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced a few hours later that he had contacted the public prosecutor “For apology for terrorism.

The remarks of the Paris MP were also condemned by LFI’s allies within the New Ecological and Social Popular Union (Nupes). “I’m angry”, thus reacted Olivier Faure, the boss of the socialists, on the social networkjudging these statements “scandalous”a few hours after proposing a “moratorium” on the participation of the PS in the Nupes. “That’s enough”for his part wrote, also on Marine Tondelier, the head of the Ecologists, believing that “vs“What happened on Saturday October 7 in Israel had nothing to do with ‘resistance'”.

Distances within LFI

The disorder has penetrated even into the ranks of La France insoumise. Some within the movement are wondering about the attitude of their leaders towards this conflict. MP Clémentine Autain thus qualified “political fault”, Sunday on RTL, the fact that LFI did not use the word “terrorist” to qualify Hamas.

In the corridors of the National Assembly on Tuesday, the deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis Raquel Garrido expressed a “some frustration” hovering “among the historical rebels”. “We are in failure, the general staffs are in failure”she added, believing that her party was not arriving “not to deliberate for a line that unites”. She invited her colleague Danièle Obono to “withdraw his words”. “Hamas is NOT a resistance movement”added LFI deputy Alexis Corbière in a tweet that François Ruffin said “share”.

Just after the Hamas attack on Israel, it was the opposite: Alexis Corbière had “sharing” the tweet from Amienois on “total condemnation of the Hamas attack”.

The rebellious leaders stand together

Not enough to shake the rebellious leaders, who say they see this as a stratagem to call into question the union of the left. Mathilde Panot, the boss of the rebellious deputies, thus judged at a press conference that “what is problematic is not respecting the program for which we were all elected”. “Those who today want to destroy this alternative to the macronie and the far right are irresponsible”, added Danièle Obono on X.

Furthermore, many of Danièle Obono’s colleagues refused to denounce her comments and reiterated their annoyance towards the rest of the political class and the media. “Why is La France Insoumise constantly called upon to justify itself in relation to Hamas? At the same time, while debates exist in Israel, it is impossible to have debates in France on the political causes and on the support given by the Israeli government to Hamas. In truth, for 10 days, we have been the target of injunctions and legal threats, which do not exist in any other liberal democracy.”castigates LFI deputy Arnaud Le Gall to franceinfo.

“This whole debate aims only to prevent any discussion about the origin of the conflict, shared, with crimes committed on both sides.”

Arnaud Le Gall, MP La France insoumise

at franceinfo

It is clear that internally, the rare voices that deviate from the majority line on the current conflict are above all those who were ousted from the leadership of the movement at the end of 2022, such as Clémentine Autain, Alexis Corbière, François Ruffin and Raquel. Garrido.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s attitude criticized even internally

In an unprecedented way, the role of Jean-Luc Mélenchon is directly targeted, a year and a half after the latter’s departure from the National Assembly. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon put fried food on the line, it’s a mistake”blasted Raquel Garrido on Tuesday.

The member for Seine-Saint-Denis joins the criticism of Nupes partners, who have been denouncing the attitude of the former presidential candidate for several days. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon (…) can no longer claim to be the one who embodies the entire left and ecology”criticized Olivier Faure, boss of the PS, Tuesday on France Inter.

Will the appeal of the first of the socialists break through the LFI wall? Will the current crisis lead some of the rebellious troops to fracture the collective of 75 deputies? Le Figaro mentioned on Sunday discussions among some of them to try to create a new group, the floor of which is set at 15 parliamentarians. “This rumor comes from people who want to exclude me”sweeps away Raquel Garrido, who does not budge: “I am and will remain rebellious.” “These rebels are very worriedtells a socialist deputy to franceinfo. But I don’t know if, when the time comes, they will be ready to take the plunge.” And thus weaken the driving force of the Nupes.


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