French lawmaker asks government to expel Israeli envoy over gunfire towards diplomats in West Bank

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA)— A French opposition lawmaker on Wednesday called on his government to expel Israel's ambassador and close the Israeli embassy in Paris, asserting that summoning him is not enough.

Thomas Porte, a member of the left-wing La France Insoumise party, issued a statement following Israeli soldiers firing threatening gunfire near foreign diplomats at the entrance to a West Bank refugee camp earlier Wednesday.

Porte stated on X: "Israeli war criminals shoot diplomats, including a Frenchman... and France summons the Israeli ambassador," criticizing the decision to limit the response to a diplomatic summons.

"The Israeli ambassador to France must be expelled and the Israeli embassy in Paris must be closed," Porte added.

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli forces opened fire to intimidate a foreign diplomatic delegation upon its arrival at an entrance to the Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian official told Anadolu.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the delegation included diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the EU, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, France, and the UK, along with representatives from several other countries.