France : The National Assembly rejects the request to lift the immunity of a pro-Israel MP

The President of the National Assembly in France rejected a request to lift the parliamentary immunity of right-wing MP Meir Habib, submitted by 39 left-wing MPs who accuse him of “defending Israeli war crimes” in Gaza.

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In a response published by deputies from the “Proud France” party on Saturday, Yael Brun-Bivé wrote that “the statements made by a parliamentarian in the Assembly hall are covered, under Article 26 of the Constitution, by the principle of irresponsibility, which has an unrestricted character and no measure allows it to be lifted.”

During a government questioning session on Tuesday, socialist, environmentalist and radical left MPs criticized a comment made by Meyer Habib, a representative of the French diaspora.

The representatives said, “While the Minister (French Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna) was asked to comment on the killing of an employee in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a result of an Israeli bombing of a residential building housing civilians, Representative Meir Habib said clearly, and twice, (This matter will not end!),” which are comments that may be “As a defense to war crimes.”

Habib, who represents French people living abroad, especially in Israel, is considered a fierce defender of Israel and supports its strikes and military operations in Gaza.

The representative responded strongly to the action of these leftist representatives, saying that “their false fireworks are nothing but a crude counterattack in an attempt to forget to defend the repeated terrorism, denial, and anti-Semitism that has been active in their ranks since October 7.” 

The association's president's decision to reject the request to lift immunity on Saturday sparked intense dissatisfaction among the radical left.

Representative Thomas Porte said on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter): “The hard-line supporters of Israeli war criminals protect each other. Therefore, a French MP can safely defend war crimes. What a shame!”

Zelensky's office reveals the names of six European Union countries that did not join the declaration of security guarantees for Kiev

Deputy Head of Office of Vladimir Zelensky, Andriy Sepiga, named six EU countries that did not join Kiev's declaration of security guarantees, Ukrainian newspaper Strana reported.

The newspaper said on its Telegram channel: “The President’s Office named six countries in the European Union that did not join the declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine. We are talking about Austria, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Malta.”

"Strana" quoted the deputy head of Zelensky's office as saying: "I believe that all these countries have the political will to become a party to the declaration."

Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Friday that more than 30 countries had joined the declaration of security guarantees, and 15 countries had expressed their willingness to begin consultations on bilateral agreements.

An advisor to the head of Zelensky's office, Mikhail Podlyak, said in early September that Kiev expects 51 countries to become the main guarantors of its security.

Earlier, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, the G7 countries published a declaration in support of Ukraine, but the security commitments contained therein do not stipulate specific dates for implementation, like previous promises regarding Ukraine’s membership in the alliance.

Kiev hopes that “security guarantees” will be put in place before the next NATO summit in Washington in 2024, and as the Financial Times previously reported, it is possible that security guarantees for Ukraine will be formalized in the form of bilateral agreements with France, Germany, the United States and a number of countries. The other concerns long-term financing, military supplies, and soldier training.