Unprecedented tension in French-Israeli relations
The Israeli government has revoked the entry visas of 27 left-wing French lawmakers and officials two days before their scheduled visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, the group announced Sunday.
This measure came just days after Israel barred two British MPs from the ruling Labor Party from entering the country.
It also came amid diplomatic tensions, after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon recognize a Palestinian state.
Macron also sought to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the situation in the Gaza Strip amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli Interior Ministry announced the revocation of the visas of the 27 individuals under a law that allows authorities to bar entry to individuals who may act against the State of Israel.
The 17 members of the group, from the French environmental and communist parties, said they were victims of “collective punishment” by Israel and called on Macron to intervene.
They said in a statement that they received an invitation from the French Consulate in Jerusalem for a five-day trip.
They added that they had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of their mission “to promote international cooperation and a culture of peace”.
They continued, “For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities revoked our entry visas, which had been approved a month earlier”.
“We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment,” the group said.
The delegation includes National Assembly members François Ruffin, Alexi Corbière, and Julie Ozen from the Ecology Party, communist deputy Soumia Borouha, and communist senator Marianne Margat.
Other members include left-wing mayors and local representatives.
The group described the visa cancellation as a “major rupture in diplomatic relations”.
The group said, “The deliberate prevention of elected officials and parliamentarians from traveling cannot go unpunished,” calling for a meeting with Macron and government action to ensure Israel allows them to enter the country.
The group emphasized that its parties have called for decades for recognition of a Palestinian state, something Macron said last week could happen during an international conference in June.
This month, Israel detained British MPs Yuan Yang and Ibtisam Mohammed at Tel Aviv airport before deporting them, citing the same reasons.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the move as unacceptable.
In February, Israel barred two left-wing members of the European Parliament, French-Palestinian Rima Hassan and Irish Lynn Boylan, from entering.
Netanyahu responded angrily to the possibility of France recognizing a Palestinian state, saying that establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel would be a “huge reward for terrorism”.
