It is a 48-minute video documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7th. This document has already been presented to the international press, a delegation of foreign political leaders and Israeli parliamentarians and will be shown in the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 14, Le Figaro reported. The initiative was taken by MP (Renaissance) Mathieu Lefèvre, who is also president of the France-Israel Friendship Group. The invitation was sent to the 121 members of the group, which notably includes the leader of the Macronist group, Sylvain Maillard, the vice-president (National Rally) of the assembly, Sébastien Chenu, and the French-Israeli MP Meyer Habib. The constituency includes the Jewish state. The group includes mostly elected representatives from the presidential majority, the right and the RN. Six socialist elected officials and two environmentalists are also sitting there. And just a La France insoumise. Senator (Les Républicains) Roger Karoutchi, chairman of the Friendship Group with Israel in the Upper House, told AFP that he also wanted to organize a broadcast.
“I feel completely comfortable with this projection. These are images that need to be shown,” assures Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, Renaissance MP. According to the elected official from Paris, “they must be used as evidence during a trial, if there is one, and I hope so, for war crimes or crimes against humanity.” “It’s as if we asked France to produce images from November 13, the Bataclan or Mohammed Merah’s GoPro. […] If there is any doubt, and that is sad, it is imperative to show these images,” Panosyan-Bouvet adds.
“I don’t think I can handle these pictures”
These “forty-eight minutes of death images,” described by a journalist from Libération in early November, primarily feature execution scenes captured by cameras carried by Hamas terrorists. Tortured corpses of adults and children were also filmed. “These are extremely violent images,” warns Panosyan-Bouvet and calls for “respecting everyone’s sensitivity.” Several MPs contacted assured that they would not take part in the screening for this reason.
“I don’t think I can stand these images,” admits a member of the friendship group, who “has no doubt about the atrocities committed.” The journalists did their job and verified.” “When I think about what happened on the 7th “What happened in October makes me sick,” he adds. Personally, the simple fact that this film exists is enough for me.” “I traveled to Israel a week after the massacre and saw all these barbarities,” adds MEP (Les Républicains) Michèle Tabarot. The elected representative from Alpes-Maritimes traveled to Israel in mid-October with a delegation of around ten parliamentarians. “Even if it is very difficult to show these horrors filmed by terrorists,” the vice-president of the LR group advocates showing the film.
“We should also send pictures from the Palestinian side”
“This is not a good idea,” Rep. (Renaissance) Eric Bothorel, who is very committed to digital issues, replies to HuffPost. According to the elected official of Côtes-d’Armor, these images taken by the terrorists are used for Hamas propaganda. “Somehow it gives their action notoriety, and in the end it won’t change anyone’s position on the conflict,” he explained.
Environmentalist Sandra Regol is divided. Although she is not against the broadcast of the video, the elected official from Bas-Rhin emphasizes that “the public to whom the video will be shown does not need to be convinced.” I am already convinced that what happened was cruel and is terrible.” Aymeric Caron, the only rebellious elected member of the friendship group, makes a different voice heard. “I am a member of parliament, but I also remain a journalist, I want to see everything, take everything with me, and get informed. I have no objection to being shown these images, even if they are disgusting from the reports I have read. We cannot ignore the atrocity of October 7th. But there shouldn’t be a double standard: When we show the MPs pictures, we have to show the war crimes of both camps. We must also show the heartbreaking images of children being killed and injured every day in Gaza. The Assembly, after verifying the source, can broadcast a montage of images of Palestinian deaths that reach us daily on the networks.