Ben Amed Azize Zougmore
April 27, 2026 ¢Last Updated: April 27, 2026
AA / Istanbul / Ben Amed Azize Zougmore
The president of the La France insoumise (LFI) group in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, denounced on Sunday a “double standard” and “revolting” in France’s foreign policy, comparing Paris’ attitude towards Russia and Israel.
As a guest on the political program ‘Questions politiques’ on France Inter in partnership with Le Monde, the deputy criticized the lack, in her opinion, of strong measures against Israel despite the situation in the Middle East.
“Netanyahu is annexing Southern Lebanon, colonizing the West Bank, and committing genocide in Gaza,” she said, adding: “What is France doing? Nothing.”
Accusing Paris of not adopting sanctions comparable to those taken against Russia, the rebellious elected official stated, “France has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions against Vladimir Putin for his violations of international law.”
“This double standard is revolting,” she concluded.
These statements come amid persistent tensions in the Middle East and increasing debates in France about Paris’ diplomatic position.
Israel has been bombing Lebanon and launched a ground offensive in the south since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2. The region has been on high alert since the US and Israel conducted an aerial strike against Iran on February 28.
Since March 2, intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanon have resulted in more than 2,500 deaths and displaced over one million people, according to Lebanese authorities.
A ten-day ceasefire was first announced on April 16, but it has been repeatedly violated.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump stated that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks after a second round of high-level negotiations at the White House.
Furthermore, a US-backed ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since October 10, ending a two-year war conducted by Israel, which has resulted in over 72,000 deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 172,000 injuries since October 2023.
