The French parliament suspended a left-wing deputy, Sebastien Delogu, for displaying a Palestinian flag during a heated discussion on recognizing Palestinian statehood. Delogu, a member of the radical left France Unbowed (LFI) party from Marseille, raised the flag during a government question session.
Parliament speaker Yael Braun-Pivet condemned Delogu’s actions as unacceptable, leading to a vote that resulted in his two-week suspension and a halving of his parliamentary allowance for two months. Delogu left the chamber making a V-sign for victory, while right-wing and centrist lawmakers applauded the sanctions against him.
This incident occurred on the same day that Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognized Palestinian statehood, a move that angered Israel. These recognitions increased the number of U.N. member states recognizing Palestinian statehood to 145 out of 193.
However, no Group of Seven industrial powers, including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have recognized a Palestinian state. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that recognizing a Palestinian state was no longer “taboo.” Nonetheless, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal avoided addressing whether France would soon join its European allies in recognizing Palestinian statehood during a session in the lower house on Tuesday.
The recent Gaza conflict has heightened tensions in France, home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel and the United States, as well as Europe’s largest Muslim community. Israel’s attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least 36,096 people in Gaza, mostly civilians.
