French Judiciary Investigates War Crime Allegations by Occupation Army in Lebanon
French judicial authorities open investigation into lawsuit against Israeli army accused of war crime in Beirut
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
French courts in Paris have opened an investigation into a lawsuit filed by a French artist of Lebanese origin against the Israeli army, accusing it of committing a war crime by targeting a residential building in Beirut in late 2024, which killed his parents among others, in what his lawyer described as an “unprecedented” case.
Six months after filing a civil lawsuit alongside the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the French-Lebanese artist Ali Chrairi and his lawyer, Clémence Picart, told AFP on Tuesday that two judges had been appointed to conduct the investigation.
Chrairi told AFP, “For nearly two years, I have been fighting... to ensure that those responsible for the Israeli bombing that killed my parents and five other civilians do not escape punishment,” praising it as “a major step forward for me and my family, even though we know the path to justice will remain long and arduous.”
He stressed that “what happened to my parents was not an isolated incident. Beyond my personal story and the memory of my parents, this fight is also about the dignity of all civilian victims. I hope this investigation will help break the culture of impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials for attacks against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine.”
According to the complaint reviewed by AFP, seven civilians, including Chrairi’s parents, aged 87 and 77, were killed in the strike on a 12-story building in Al-Nawari Street in the heart of the Lebanese capital on November 26, 2024, which destroyed three floors.
The complaint added that the bombing “took place just hours before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect,” based on research conducted by Amnesty International and the Institute for Criminal Engineering, which investigated the strike.
French courts cannot investigate the deaths of Ali Chrairi’s parents, who did not hold French citizenship. Therefore, his lawyer stated that he filed a lawsuit accusing the Israeli army of committing a war crime consisting of “intentional attack on civilian property,” as Chrairi owned the apartment where his parents were killed and which was later destroyed.
