"There will be recognition of the Palestinian state, that is the meaning of history."

A humid heat has taken hold of the streets of the capital, a storm is threatening. Anger too. That of the thousands of demonstrators gathered this Saturday, June 14, in Paris, but also throughout France, to demand an end to the ongoing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip. The news from the day before, those of the Israeli bombings of Iran and its nuclear sites and Tehran's response , are on everyone's mind. Danielle, a small woman with large dark glasses, is worried: " We can feel that things could get out of hand this time." At 77, the former documentalist for the National Education system has been mobilizing for many years for Palestinian rights. But this time, it's different. Firstly because of the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Gazans " which has lasted for far too long" , but also because of this new episode of Israeli war . "We absolutely must restore peace in the region. We know how what is happening between Iran and Israel began, but we don't know how it will end," she fears.

About ten meters away, on the Place de la République, a platform has been set up to welcome the Freedom Flotilla activists, released Thursday by Israel after being illegally detained. They had been boarded in international waters. Two French citizens, journalist Yanis Mhamdi and sailor Pascal Maurieras, have not yet been released, nor has a Dutch activist. While waiting for their arrival, the gradually growing crowd gathers around the slogans "Gaza, Gaza, Paris is with you" and "This is not a war, it's genocide." Rima Hassan, an unsubmissive European MP and participant in the humanitarian sailboat Madleen, takes the microphone. She is cheered loudly. She calls for sanctions against Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, who "must be arrested!" "Emmanuel Macron must hear us where he is: the mobilization will continue until the liberation of the Palestinian people," she declared to the applause of the crowd.

The challenge of recognizing the State of Palestine

This determination is shared by all the anonymous people who form the processions, colored by the flags of Palestine, but also by those of the CGT, CFDT, FSU, Solidaires and Unsa. The inter-union called for people to join the mobilizations throughout France in support of the Palestinian people. A call heard by the National Collective for a Just and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis (CNPJDPI) and the left-wing parties. "The goal of this inter-union call is to put pressure on the government! And to remind people that there is no social progress if there is no peace," confides Gérard Ré, member of the CGT confederal office. Tayeb Khouira, national secretary of Solidaires, agrees: "We have been warning about the ongoing genocide for months. The world of work has the right to denounce it!" There is a real awakening, as we saw with the dockers' mobilization." They, like the participants in the Freedom Flotilla , are the heroes of the day. They regularly receive long rounds of applause for their refusal to load military equipment bound for Israel.

Jean, dressed all in black, is a regular at demonstrations. Against pension reform, for Palestine, he has been at every rally since he was 16. "I'm 75 today, it's been a while," he smiles. He too is worried about the fate of the Palestinians and the rest of the region: "The government is in a form of total impunity. There was already this genocide underway in the Gaza Strip, with this desire for assumed ethnic cleansing, and now this new conflict with Iran. The future is extremely bleak if nothing is done." Jean still sees a path to peace, provided "there is immediate and unconditional recognition of Palestine by France, an end to cooperation with Israel, by France, but also by the other countries of the European Union, and a reaction from Israeli civil society to oust Netanyahu," he imagines.

Simple solutions also shared by Vincent Boulet, deputy mayor of the 13th arrondissement of Paris and head of the international sector for the French Communist Party. "France, like the 148 countries that have already done so, must recognize the Palestinian state. Emmanuel Macron announced it, he must do it now. No need to go to New York for that," he insists. A simple step, the communist also assures that sanctions against the Israeli government must be taken: "As demanded by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. France must also demand the end of the cooperation agreement between the European Union and Israel until the situation in Gaza has changed. France must make itself heard!" Further ahead of the demonstration, slogans and speeches follow one another from the lead truck. Some left-wing figures like Sandrine Rousseau, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Sabrina Sebaihi of the Ecologists follow in step.

Manuel Bompard, the coordinator of France Insoumise, is invited to say a word. He urges the procession to show its support for "Palestine Emergency after its dissolution" and is moved by this large-scale mobilization taking place before his eyes: "We are tens of thousands of people all over France. We are mobilized here, but also in Europe and all over the world. The people are rising up!" According to France Insoumise, 150,000 people are present in Paris. "Total embargo" of trade relations with Israel, sanctions against the Netanyahu government, end of EU cooperation and recognition of Palestine, everyone agrees on the path to follow. "Then we can win and put an end to the genocide in Gaza," assures the rebel. The ecologist Sabrina Sebaihi takes over to also defend the same solutions. " We will not be complicit , we will not be silent, we will continue to denounce what is happening, we will continue to mobilize!" she warns. The MP, after calling on those present to join the "hundreds of flotillas that are being prepared," concludes gravely: "There will be recognition of the Palestinian State, that is the meaning of History. History will judge those who were on the right side and those who were complicit in this genocide."