Rights groups sue France over inaction on financial ties to illegal Israeli settlements

Five human rights groups are suing the French government in the country’s highest administrative court for not acting to prevent domestic companies from participating in financial activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

The plaintiffs filed the case on Wednesday, citing the government's failure in adopting recommendations from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Following a July 2024 ICJ advisory opinion that declared Israel’s presence in the OPT unlawful and required states to prevent economic activities that sustain the occupation, several EU countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain, introduced measures targeting Israeli settlement policies and connected entities.

Yet France went no further than recognising the State of Palestine last September and declaring the Israeli occupation illegal.

Regarding economic actions, the French government has remained passive, only issuing recommendations to French businesses operating in the West Bank, warning that they may risk "violating international law".

Targeting the prime minister and several relevant ministers, the lawsuit challenges the French government’s inaction as unlawful and demands immediate judicial intervention.

The case is pushing for binding measures, including establishing an official registry identifying French entities operating in the illegal settlements, enacting prohibitions on trade and financial support for settlement-linked activities, and disqualifying firms with such links from government procurement.

Third-state duty

The ICJ ruling holds that all states must abstain from commercial dealings with Israel involving the OPT that could entrench its unlawful presence in those territories, while taking active steps to prevent trade or investment relations that support this illegal status quo.

"The International Court of Justice left no doubt that states cannot stand on the sidelines when faced with legal obligations,” said James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, which advises the five NGOs involved in the case against France.

'International law only has force if states are prepared to implement it in practice'

- James Goldston, Open Society Justice Initiative

“International law only has force if states are prepared to implement it in practice."

The five claimant organisations are the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Jurists for the Respect of International Law (JURDI), the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), La Ligue des Droits Humains (LDH), and Law for Palestine.

In their filing, they cited evidence that several French companies continued operating in sectors such as transportation, construction, finance, and commercial services in the OPT.

An example is the Egis Rail group, listed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for being involved in “the construction of the Jerusalem light rail linking West Jerusalem to the settlements in East Jerusalem".  

Setting precedent

The case is expected to take up to a year to reach a conclusion.

Following the initial filing, the written procedure phase begins: the named ministers will first respond to the claims, after which the claimants will submit their reply.

Once this exchange concludes, a hearing will be scheduled before the Conseil d’État, France's highest administrative court, a process that typically takes several months for such cases.

If successful, the lawsuit is expected to establish crucial guidance on how governments must regulate corporate conduct linked to serious violations of international law.

The case “seeks to move beyond expressions of concern toward accountability, asserting that international legal obligations must be enforceable before independent courts,” said Tayab Ali, director of the ICJP, in the press release by the claimant groups.

Rights organisations, alongside UN experts, have been emphasising that Israel profits financially from its illegal occupation by economically leveraging its control over Palestinian resources and industries, all while expanding its annexation across the West Bank and beyond.