“Talking about a tragic accident is absolute cynicism,” says Middle East specialist

“At the end of eight months, we have 36,000 dead, it is a deliberate desire to also affect civilians,” accuses Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, president of the Mediterranean Middle East Research and Studies Institute.

“Talking about a tragic accident is absolute cynicism”, reacted Tuesday May 28 on franceinfo Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, president of the Institute for Mediterranean Middle East Research and Studies (iReMMO), to the comments of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The latter described“tragic incident” the Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah which left 45 dead and 249 injured on Sunday evening.

For Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, “There have only been tragic accidents for months and months. We are at more than 36,000 dead” since Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the bloody attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil which left 1,170 dead, mostly civilians. “I believe that we could accept this formulation of a tragic accident if for several months there had been a very large measure of the Israeli army, if there had not been many deaths and if indeed, it is a somewhat exceptional event, but it is quite the opposite”developed the Middle East specialist.

According to him, Israel cannot shirk its responsibility given the human toll triggered by the Israeli response after October 7, 2023. “At the end of eight months, we have 36,000 dead, it is a deliberate desire to also affect civilians,” he argued, in response to the statement by the Israeli army spokesperson. Olivier Rafowicz explained Tuesday on franceinfo that the operation carried out by the Israeli army “was a targeted strike, with precise missiles” and that there was “no desire for civilians to be targeted.” “Since the beginning, we have had this type of declaration, it is either an error or an accident”lamented the president of iReMMO.

Especially since the Rafah bloodbath took place at a time when international pressure was increasing on Israel. On Friday, two days before the deadly Israeli strike, a decision by the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to suspend its operations in this city located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip. “Many international actors, the United Nations, France, the United States told Israel not to go to Rafah, because it was going to be a disaster,” he added, condemning the obstinacy of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The International Court of Justice, which is therefore the institution of the United Nations, nevertheless raised the idea of ​​a risk of genocide”, recalled Jean-Paul Chagnollaud. In January, judges in The Hague ordered the Jewish state to prevent any act of genocide.