French entrepreneur files complaint against Israeli army for uprooting olive trees in Lebanon

A French entrepreneur born in Lebanon filed a complaint against X for war crimes or misdemeanors, targeting the Israeli army. He accuses him of having uprooted 600 century-old olive trees belonging to his family, franceinfo learned from his lawyers on Wednesday September 23, confirming information from AFP. This 37-year-old Frenchman denounces the uprooting of trees, some of which he says were half a millennium old, on land cultivated for 250 years in Zawtar el-Charqiyé, his native village in southern Lebanon.

“These facts are part of the broader framework of ethnic cleansing and the destruction of many villages by Israel in southern Lebanon. Our client expects French justice to do everything possible to identify and prosecute those responsible,” his lawyers Vincent Brengarth, William Bourdon and Nicolas Busan underlined to franceinfo.

"War crimes"

The lawyers tell franceinfo that their client's house was destroyed. Likewise, his lands were ravaged. In particular, his olive trees, as well as those belonging to his family. The uprooting of olive trees is part of a broader context, documented by numerous journalists and non-governmental organizations, of methodical annihilation of southern Lebanon by Israel. “The destruction and uprooting of olive trees are symptomatic of the war crimes committed by Israel in South Lebanon,” explains the complaint, which cites in particular an Amnesty International report.

Contacted in August about this destruction, the Israeli army indicated that it was “aware of the potential environmental impact of its activities in the region” and was taking “precautionary measures to reduce damage caused to civilians and the environment”.