The war in Israel has unleashed a new controversy in French politics, specifically due to the ambiguous attitude of the extreme left when condemning the attacks of Hamas. The leader of Rebellious France, Jean Luc Mélenchoncompared these attacks on Saturday with the Israeli occupation policy in Gaza: “The armed offensive of the Palestinian forces carried out by Hamas takes place in a context of intensification of the Israeli occupation policy in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” said Mélenchon, who did not use the word “terrorism.”
The prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, criticized Mélenchon’s “repugnant ambiguities” on Sunday, and assured that this anti-Zionism “is a way of hiding anti-Semitism.” The criticism comes mainly from the socialist bloc, partners of The Rebellious France in the Nupesthe coalition of left-wing parties in the Assembly.
This controversy delves deeper into the crack that already exists within this alliance, where the socialists increasingly differ from the positions of Mélenchon, who has also been ambiguous with his support for Ukraine, For example. Numerous leaders have attacked the leftist leader, from the former president Francois Hollande until Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris. She has urged her party to “end the disalliance with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has nothing to do with him.”
“Following Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a dead end. It was true yesterday, it is true today,” he said on Twitter (now X). “His positions against Israel and his refusal to condemn the terrorist organization Hamas are unsustainable. The Socialist Party cannot continue to lose itself. There can be no hope or victory in dishonor,” he said.
The former minister Pierre Moscovici has judged this positioning to be “desperate.” “Any position that does not clearly condemn Hamas makes me sick,” said the socialist. Jérôme Guedj. That there are disputes “that they talk about Hamas as a Palestinian armed force disgusts me. Hamas is a terrorist organization,” said the socialist Valérie Rabault.