The leaders of the three main human rights organizations from Gaza, the West Bank and Israel arrived in Paris on Sunday, March 16, for three days of meetings with French political leaders and civil society figures. Invited by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Palestinian figures Raji Sourani (Palestinian Center for Human Rights) and Shawan Jabarin (Al-Haq), as well as Israeli activist Yuli Novak (B'Tselem) met with Anne-Claire Legendre, the Elysée's North Africa-Middle East advisor. However, a planned meeting with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was canceled by the mayor's office at the last minute. As the trio, whose positions are fully aligned, visited France, their trip was shaken up by the resumption of the war in Gaza.

Yuli Novak: [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, with the United States' full support, has simply done what he said he would do, which is to resume the war. The ceasefire was never a real ceasefire. Attacks on the Palestinian people never ceased during these two months. Today, by resuming its massive bombardment of Gaza, he has put the hostages at terrible risk. He has proven, once again, that he neither cares for Palestinians' lives, nor for those of his own citizens.

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