French FM Séjourné 'strongly condemns' killing of Gaza aid workers

"The protection of humanitarian personnel is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to," Séjourné said at a news conference with Blinken, referring to the Israeli air strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza. 

"Nothing can justify such a tragedy," he added.

Paris has also advocated for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The United States, Israel's main ally, recently let pass a UN Security Council resolution that calls for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan.

Blinken stopped short of directly condemning the attack but told reporters in Paris that the US is calling for "a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened".

 "What we have impressed upon the Israelis is to do more to protect innocent civilian lives, be they innocent Palestinian children or aid workers."

 "We should not have a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow human beings are themselves at great risk," said Blinken, adding that humanitarian workers "have to be protected".

"They have been doing extraordinary work, day in, day out. These people are heroes. They run into the fire, not away from it. They have to be protected."

Hours before the Israeli strike on WCK workers on Monday, Reuters reported that the Biden administration was considering proceeding with an $18 billion arms transfer package to Israel.

00:57

Asked if incidents like the killing of WCK workers made the United States think twice about its "flood of weapons" to Israel, Blinken did not address the specific question but said all US arms transfers happened consistent to policy requirements.

"From Day One, we have worked to impress upon Israel, the imperative of protecting civilians, of adhering fully to international humanitarian law, to the law of armed conflict. That is something that we are looking at and review on a regular basis," he added.

Support for Ukraine is 'imperative'

Blinken added that further Western support for Ukraine was “imperative” during the joint press conference. 

“We are working day in, day out to prevent the ongoing bolstering of Russia’s war machine,” he said, insisting that Ukrainian allies must “build a stronger industrial base” and continue providing munitions. 

Séjourné added that France will propose sanctions at an EU-wide level on Russian companies spreading "disinformation". 

"I will propose putting forward a sanctions regime against those who support a regime of disinformation," said Séjourné.

France is among major military suppliers to Ukraine, which has faced critical shortages of arms and troops as it holds off an onslaught of Russian attacks.

The United States has been the key military backer for Ukraine but a $60 billion aid package has been held up in Congress.

France held an international conference in February in a bid to rally financial and military support for Ukraine. The results will be reviewed by Blinken and French leaders, officials said.

04:29

Both sides want an "intensification" of support for Ukraine, a member of Séjourné's entourage said.

The French minister was in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the Gaza war and in China on Monday to urge Beijing to press Russia over the Ukraine war.

The French foreign ministry said Séjourné and Blinken will discuss preparations for a NATO summit in Washington in July, as well as the "crises" in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.

In a symbolic visit, Blinken was to accompany France's Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu to a factory near Paris of Franco-German defence group KNDS, which makes artillery guns being used in Ukraine.

Blinken is also to go to the Paris headquarters of the UN cultural organisation, UNESCO, that the United States rejoined last year. Blinken will hold a meeting with UNESCO leader Audrey Azoulay.

The visit marks the first trip to France for Blinken, a fluent French speaker, in nearly two years.

Macron paid a state visit to Washington in December 2022.

After Paris, Blinken will head to Brussels for NATO foreign ministers' talks ahead of the alliance's 75th anniversary summit in Washington in July.

Blinken will also hold a three-way meeting in Brussels with EU leaders and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been seeking to branch out from his country's historic alliance with Russia.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)