At a time when France will welcome the leaders of the G7, we observe that, faced with the unbridled use of force by certain States and the multiplication of crimes against civilian populations, the principles of international law seem to be knowingly ignored. Some European officials even suggest that it has become outdated and has become ineffective in the face of contemporary balance of power.
The rules from the post-war period would no longer be adapted to today’s world. We also find this speech when the French presidency accepts that Israel imposes “a buffer zone” in southern Lebanon, described as “temporary”. Would the systematic destruction of infrastructure and homes in villages already in ruins therefore only have temporary consequences?
The use of force is illegal
The underlying idea is clear: right would henceforth yield to power. But is it really international law that is failing, or the leaders whose primary responsibility is to uphold it? The prohibition on the use of force enshrined in the United Nations Charter is unambiguous: the use of force is illegal unless authorized by the UN Security Council or invoked in self-defense in the face of an imminent threat.
Even in these contexts, war is never a lawless zone: States remain bound by international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which applies at all times and in all circumstances to guarantee essential protection to civilian populations. These rules have not disappeared. What is lacking today is the political will to apply them.
Every day, we see the consequences: schools, hospitals, humanitarian and civilian convoys become targets, in defiance of the law. “You can always count on France, which has always believed in and worked to consolidate international law,” recalled the President of the Republic almost three years ago.
Conditional rules
Such words are engaging, because credibility requires consistency. Presented as an important diplomatic step forward, France’s recognition of the State of Palestine was not accompanied by the concrete measures requested by the International Court of Justice in order not to aid and assist the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Since then, violations have continued, impunity remains and the law continues to be trampled. Political initiatives such as the international conference, organized on June 12 in Paris with Israeli and Palestinian civil societies, cannot be effective if France does not also work to enforce international law and sanction violations.
Rules are only valid if they apply everywhere. They cannot vary according to the interests of the moment. A civilian in Ukraine, Lebanon, Gaza or Sudan is entitled to the same protection under international law.
Yet when European leaders condemn violations in one conflict but remain silent in another, the message sent is clear: the rules would be conditional. Recent statements by France and other European leaders illustrate this selective application.
Political courage
None of this means that the principles of international law are outdated. The reality is that these rules were never designed for the comfortable moments of diplomacy. They exist precisely for the most difficult times, when the pressure to abandon them is often the greatest. It is precisely in these moments that leadership matters most. Invoking geopolitical realism cannot serve as an excuse for renunciation.
What is needed today is not resignation, but political courage. Certain countries of the European Union, such as Spain, have shown the way by strongly condemning the American and Israeli strikes against Iran, by denouncing the establishment of a death penalty in Israel which only applies, in fact, to Palestinians.
France can still choose to be true to its word, truly defend international law and justice, starting by reaffirming the commitment and unwavering support of the G7 which it chairs this year. The alternative is unimaginable: a world where the law of the strongest prevails, and where the founding commitments of our Republic and the European Union to international law and human rights would be abandoned.
(1) Signatories: Cécile Duflot, Director General of Oxfam France; Claire Magone, general director of Médecins sans frontières; Anne Savinel-Barras, president of Amnesty International France; Jean-François Corty, president of Médecins du monde; Olivier Bruyeron, president of Coordination Sud; François Leroux, president of the French NGO Platform for Palestine; Guillaume Nicolas, general delegate of CCFD-Terre solidaire; Adrien Sallez, general director of Asmae – Sister Emmanuelle; Erwan Le Grand, general director of Première Urgence Internationale; Véronique de Geoffroy, general director of Groupe URD; Aurélie Gal-Régniez, executive director of Equipop; Manuel Patrouillard, general director of Handicap International – Humanity&Inclusion; Raphaël Pitti, president of Humanité Solidarité Médecine (HuSoMe); Bertrand Quinet, president of Triangle Generation Humanitarian; Gérard Feldzer, president of Aviation sans frontières; Hervé Gouyet, president of Electricians Without Borders; Cathy Blanc-Gonnet, coordinating director of Humatem.
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