A communist motion condemning “Israel’s institutionalisation of an apartheid regime” while demanding an economic boycott of the country was overwhelmingly rejected by the French National Assembly last Thursday.
Supporters from the French Communist Party (PCF) and part of the radical-left party La France insoumise (LFI) said backing it against the Jewish state would place France “on the side of international law.”
The anti-Zionist motion — tabled last Thursday by Jean-Paul Le Coq, one of the leaders of the far left NUPES alliance — was roundly defeated by 199 votes against, 71 in favor, the Algemeiner reports.
The outlet set out the details behind the motion and its defeat, recording it accused Israel of having “institutionalized an apartheid regime” over the Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The resolution further called for recognition of the “State of Palestine,” the imposition of a “strict arms embargo” upon Israel and the boycott of all goods produced in West Bank settlements.
The text stressed the right to condemn the “illiberal and colonial drift of this state” without being accused of antisemitism.
According to the Algemeiner, the motion was supported by Green and far left MPs but rejected by the center-left Socialist Party, which said it would table a separate resolution on the issue in the coming days.