France's support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu undermines international justice and erodes global trust, political science lecturer from the University of South Africa Dr. Ahmed Jazbhay told Sputnik Africa, commenting on the French Foreign Ministry's statement that Netanyahu will not be arrested on French territory despite an ICC warrant.
"France is clutching at straws. Desperate to be seen to be supporting its ally. […] This is a slap in the face of France's obligation as a state party to the ICC. All 124 signatories to the Rome Statute remain obligated to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant [former Israeli defense minister] should they enter its territory," he said.
France's actions send a message that international justice selectively targets Global South leaders while shielding Western allies such as Israel. This selective enforcement, driven by powerful lobbies and a history of Western impunity, undermines confidence in global justice systems, the speaker argued.
"We are now seeing the glaring double standards and contradictions being manifested," Jazbhay emphasized.
According to the expert, France's position has no legal basis and will ultimately lead to the death of international law if not challenged.
Furthermore, the ICC is "a tool of Western coloniality," thus justice for Palestinians will only arise through resistance to Israeli occupation, he noted.
"Both France and Israel are colonizers, and the former can never be a credible broker of human rights and peace in the Middle East. France's Islamophobic treatment of its Muslim population is testament to this fact," the political scientist concluded.