France has reportedly granted refugee status to two Palestinians from the Gaza Strip on the grounds that they are at risk of Israeli persecution, following a landmark ruling by a French court on Friday.
In the first such case, a Palestinian woman and her son were granted the status by the National Court of Asylum (CNDA) in France, after voicing fears that a return to the war-battered enclave would put them at risk of being targeted due to their nationality, French media reported.
The decision was made under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Following this decision, the court also ruled that Palestinian nationals from the coastal territory who are not protected by the UN are now eligible for refugee status.
The case was sparked by the Palestinian woman's application to the CNDA for international protection alongside her son, due to the fact she was not legally protected by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
The mother and son were under the care of the French embassy in Cairo, and were able to enter French territory thanks to two consular passes, before being granted protection by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons.
French media said the move was the highest form of protection by the CNDA, with the case involving nine judges instead of the usual three.
The judges referenced Israel’s use of warfare following its resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip in March this year, effectively ending the ceasefire put in place there. Thousands have been killed since, with the current death toll standing at 58,479 as of Tuesday.
The court relied on public sources, such as UN reports, to grant the two refugee status.
Campaigners said the move "had a limited impact" but remained "symbolic" nonetheless. Lawyers also added that the CDNA treats asylum cases individually, stressing there is no guarantee that all Palestinians from Gaza would be granted refuge in France despite the new ruling.
The move, while welcomed by pro-Palestinian activists, triggered backlash from several right-wing French politicians, notably far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen.
The former National Rally leader said it was "pure madness" to allow Gazans to seek asylum in France, and asked: "When will they stop weakening our country with ideological and dangerous decisions for the balance of our society?"
This also comes as France President Emmanuel Macron expressed a desire to recognise an independent Palestinian state in recent months, in parallel with an increase of criticism of Israel’s atrocities in the enclave.
On a recent state visit to the UK, the French president urged his British counterparts to do the same, calling it "the only path to peace".
Macron’s potential recognition of a Palestinian state was dismissed by Israeli officials, who threatened to annex parts of the occupied West Bank if the move were to come to fruition.