Israel arrests French man for Gaza arms smuggling

Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM: Israel has arrested an employee in the French consulate in Jeru-sa-lem for allegedly smuggling weapons from the Gaza Strip, according to Israel’s internal security service Shabak.

In a statement on Monday, Shabak said the French national was detained one month ago, along with ten people, including a Palestinian guard at the French consulate. It said the French was involved in five smuggling operations that included 70 guns and two rifles from Gaza through the Erez crossing between the Palestinian enclave and Israel, using a diplomatic vehicle belonging to the French consulate.

Shabak said the consulate employee was acting solely for “financial gains”, without the knowledge of his superiors. According to the statement, the employee received the arms from a Palestinian working at the French Cultural Center in Gaza and transferred them to the West Bank where he sold them to arms dealers.

A Palestinian guard at the French consulate and nine Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who had illegally resided in the West Bank were arrested in connection with the issue, Shabak said.

A spokesman for the French Embassy in Tel Aviv said it was taking the case “very seriously”, according to The Times of Israel daily.

“He has benefited and continues to enjoy the consular protection” provided to French nationals, said the spokesman, without providing more details on the case.

There was no comment from the Palestinian side on the issue. (AA)