By KUNA
Paris : France on Thursday condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza, where at least 16 Palestinians, including a baby, were killed by Israeli attacks, and one Israeli was killed by Qassam rocket fire in the town of Sderot.
“We condemn the firing of rockets which caused the death of one young Israeli. We call for their immediate halt,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said.
The official also called on Israel to show restraint, although she did not directly address the issue of civilian casualties, including the young baby, in Gaza.
“We also call on the Israeli authorities to show the greatest restraint. We condemn the practice of extrajudicial executions which are contrary to international law,” she added.
France said that it was very concerned by the violence which is damaging efforts to reach peace and stability in the region.
Separately, Andreani said France wanted the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships “to continue their discussions despite the violence” as they share the same objective and political determination.
“We want their efforts, with the support of the international community, to move the peace process forward,” the French spokeswoman said.
Diplomats in the French capital have confided to KUNA that there is broad pessimism about the potential for success in the peace process this year, largely because of the ongoing violence against Gaza and the failure to ease the blockade on Palestinian territories and the lack of Israeli flexibility on other issues.