114 lawyers file a request before the International Criminal Court against several French elected officials

This Tuesday, July 29, a request was filed by an association of lawyers with the International Criminal Court (ICC), targeting the French president Emmanuel Macron, members of the government and 19 deputies including Laurent Croizier (Doubs), Julien Odoul (Yonne) and Guillaume Bigot (Territoire de Belfort). Explanations.

The 56 -page document is written by the association “lawyers for justice in the near East”. Unveiled to the press on July 29, he asked the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the prosecutor “Investigation of role” of different members of the French executive, “In the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by the Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.”

Among this list of elected officials, we find the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister François Bayrou, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces. Also cited are 19 French deputies of the European Affairs Committee in the National Assembly. The deputy for MoDem Laurent Croizier (Doubs); The deputy Rally National Guillaume Bigot (Territoire de Belfort) and the deputy RN Julien Odoul (Yonne) are part of it.

► The document can be viewed in full here.

The four crimes relating to the competence of the ICC are: the genocide; crimes against humanity; War crimes and attack crime. The International Criminal Court is responsible for judging people and not states. France is one of the 124 states to join the Rome status (which entered into force in 2002). She therefore undertakes to respect her decisions and to cooperate with this international body. Israel, China, Russia and the United States have not joined the status of Rome.

“Far from taking concrete measures to prevent the genocide in progress against the Palestinians, the members of the French executive cited in this communication continued to support the criminal actions of the government of Israel by providing military, political, economic, diplomatic and propaganda support to this state, including by providing the means to commit the crimes in question”specifies the complaint.

The document, particularly argued, is based on article 15 of the Rome status of the International Criminal Court and on a chronological list, detailed, taking up all the known elements, the various surveys, the testimonies and the documents attesting to the current situation in Gaza for many months. “The crimes committed by the Israeli army in the Palestinian territory, including the crime of genocide, were largely documented by the UN and the most important NGOs”, Can we read.

The crimes mentioned in this communication are the responsibility of the ICC.

Lawyers for justice in the Middle East

And the document to add: “It has just been revealed a continuous and massive delivery by France of military components in Israel after October 2023 and since then.” The applicants “Consider that the President of the Senate and the President of the National Assembly, as well as French deputies and senators, played a role of diplomatic, political and moral support in the State of Israel when they could not ignore either the intention of Israeli leaders or the nature of the crimes committed in the Palestinian territory (Gaza and occupied Cisjordan band).

Lawyers also point to the role of pro-Israeli influence networks active mainly in Europe called Elnet (European Leadership Network), which would have facilitated close links between French elected officials and the Israeli government.

According to Médiapart (paid article), since 2017, this lobby has sent, all paid costs, a hundred French parliamentarians in Israel. “These trips, accompanied by various gifts and privileges, aim to directly influence French elected officials in favor of the Israeli government, including when he commits crimes provided for in Rome’s status, whether in the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank”mentions the request filed with the ICC.

At the same time and for the first time, two Israeli NGOs assure him: the war waged by Israel is a “genocide”. In independent reports, and as cited in an article by our colleagues from France Info, the two organizations speak of “intentional policy of destruction of Palestinian society”. The Israeli government continues to force these analyzes with force.

This Tuesday, three UN agencies called for “flooding” the Gaza Food Strip in order to avoid “Generalized famine”. This territory has been submitted since March 2, 2025 to a total blockade decided by the government of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu since March 2, 2025.

The “Worse scenario of famine is underway in the Gaza Strip” Due to the intensification of fighting, massive displacements of populations and restrictions on humanitarian aid, alerts a UN report written jointly with NGOs and regional institutions.

France “will proceed in the coming days to aerial drops “ Help on the Gaza Strip “In order to meet the most essential and urgent needs of the civilian population”according to a diplomatic source cited by the France-Presse agency (AFP). All over the world, gatherings in support of Palestinian civilians are increasing. In Besançon (Doubs), a rally is also scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. September 8, support for the Handala crew, a humanitarian ship intercepted by the Israeli army in the international zone.

Since October 8, 2023, at least 57,418 Palestinians have been killed, mainly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip, quoted by RFI. “The number of killed in the besieged Palestinian enclave is unprecedented compared to almost all other conflicts since the Second World War, in terms of combatants ratio compared to non-combatants killed, but also in terms of mortality rate compared to the size of the population“specify our colleagues.